


radio static

by sunarists



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Adopted Children, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Universe, Children, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, F/F, F/M, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, I Love You, M/M, Radio, Reunions, Time Skips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:42:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24456118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunarists/pseuds/sunarists
Summary: "They destroyed the way we were going to test the nightblood." He continues. "Raven said we could go to space- back to the sky, where we're from. She's a pilot, and a mechanic- the smartest person I know. So we got ready to go to space. But the rocket couldn't launch because of an issue with the satellite. Someone had to stay behind and fix it so they could lift off."Madi looks at him, her mouth parted in shock. "You stayed?"Murphy shrugs, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "I was the only one with nightblood.""But you didn't know if it would work!" She cries out. Murphy shrugs again."But it did." He says simply. "Our radio connection- it broke during the wave. I call them every day anyways- just in case they can hear me. I can't hear them, though."-alternatively, murphy's the one that stays behind to save his people, finds shallow valley and a daughter that comes with it. he still calls bellamy on the radio every day- it's enough to keep him going for six years.
Relationships: Bellamy Blake & Madi, Bellamy Blake/John Murphy, Clarke Griffin/Raven Reyes, Echo/Emori (The 100), Emori & John Murphy (The 100), John Murphy & Raven Reyes, Madi & John Murphy (The 100), Monty Green/Harper McIntyre
Comments: 22
Kudos: 185





	radio static

**Author's Note:**

> wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee this was hard- murphy father hard 2 write
> 
> anywho pls enjoy
> 
> tw; the hanging scene, referenced torture, references to ontari (dub-con)

Emori's mouth is twisted painfully as she struggles against the binds that hold her to the floor, thrashing in fear. Abby's approaching, slowly and surely, her eyes welling up with tears that won't spill, the syringe in her hand looking more and more ominous as she gets closer. Clarke and Raven watch, frozen in horror- they're too important, especially in Abby’s eyes, to be the lab rats- the daughter and the mechanic. 

Murphy's yelling- he knows this for sure, but he doesn't register what he's saying. His best friend, his first love- is this really how she dies? As an experiment? A sacrifice? 

Murphy's _been_ the sacrifice before. 

Emori hasn't lived enough to be a martyr. 

"Inject me!" He roars, his wrists bleeding from where he's tied to the heavy table, dripping onto the floor. Red blood. "Don't do it, Abby, inject _me!"_

Murphy feels sick as Abby flinches, breaking out of her dazed walk towards Emori, who looks at him fearfully, eyes wide and mouth parted. 

"I can't do that." Abby whispers. "Not to you." 

Murphy's hit with a wave of emotions- angerpainsadnessexhaustion- hearing Abby so torn. She cares, he _knows_ she cares, the closest thing he's had to a mother since his drowned at the bottom of the bottle all those years ago. 

"If you care about me at _all-"_ his voice cracks, ever so subtly, and Abby twitches again. "- you'll inject me and not her." 

Emori's mouth is open in a silent scream, her eyes begging him not to do this- it's not a survivor's move, it's not _him,_ but for the first time in his life, Murphy thinks he'll die with some dignity, some grace, if he dies for _her._ Perhaps he'll be honoured, after he passes, remembered as the hero rather than the villain. 

He thinks he'd like that- his name next to Bellamy's, next to Clarke's, Monty's, Raven's. 

Abby exhales harshly- those tears that had been waiting in her eyes fall, finally, joining Murphy's blood on the white floor of Becca's lab. 

"I'm sorry." She pleads, and she's turning away from Emori, turning to him. Emori finally shrieks, flailing with as much strength as she can muster. Every step she takes sounds louder and louder until his ears are ringing. 

He doesn't feel the sting of the injection as black blood infiltrates his red. 

"How could you let her do this?" Emori screams at Clarke, who has tears spilling down her cheeks- all the tears she's held in the past, every broken promise and wrong decision and burden on her shoulders. "Bellamy wouldn't let this happen- he would've _never_ let this happen- let me _go!"_

Murphy's not sure if that's true- it'd be nice, if Bellamy could've stopped it, would've saved him. Would have _chosen_ to save him. But it's a pipe dream, at most, and Murphy's made his peace with it.

Raven moves towards Emori, her shaky fingers working as nimbly at the knots of her binds as she can. Emori spits at her feet, sneering when Raven shakes silently before she rushes to Murphy, who watches serenely. 

"Why did you do that, John?" She whispers tearfully.

Murphy looks at her blankly- he knows exactly why he did it; he did it for her. And selfishly, he thinks he also did it for him. They're stuck looking at each other, trapped in their little world for a minute. Murphy quite likes their little world. It could've been a home.

A crash. Something shattering. The two of them turn to Raven and Clarke, in the midst of destroying the radiation chamber, their faces almost maniacal, eyes blown wide with fear and pain. God, they were just _kids,_ when they landed on the Ground, they're _still_ just kids. Murphy watches in shock as they destroy their last chance of survival on the Ground, the glass splintering to a million tiny pieces on the floor. Abby slumps into a chair, dropping the empty syringe to the floor with a clatter.

"We'll go to space." Raven says frantically, her eyes large and bright and her hair falling out of her signature tight ponytail. "We'll get the oxygen generator, we'll go to the Go-Sci Ring, Monty will build the algae farm." 

Emori's looking at her in wonder, curious and surprised, before flicking her attention back to Murphy. 

Murphy, who Raven and Clarke had been desperate to _save._

Oh, how the tables turn- Murphy cocks his head as he processes it, his normally sharp tongue abnormally silent.

Clarke's nodding at an incredible speed, her mind working a mile a minute. She glances at Murphy, her gaze apologetic, miserable, tired. He thinks he'll forgive her, one day. She's just trying her best. 

Just like he was. 

* * *

Murphy sweats in his hazmat suit, standing by the entrance of the rocket. Raven's inside, fingers dancing over a hundred different buttons and levers as she begins their last-ditch attempt at living, while Emori, and their newest stowaway, Echo, watch helplessly. Clarke, Harper, Bellamy and Monty are on the run for the oxygenator- Murphy taps his foot anxiously, waiting for them to come back. 

" _Fuck!"_ Raven's shriek echoes, and Murphy turns to her, watching as she buries her head in her hands. His heart races as he sees her look up miserably at him, her mouth downturned in a deep frown. 

"The dish isn't aligned with the Ark." Raven wails, slamming her hand down on the operations board. "It needs to be adjusted manually." 

A growing sense of dread sits in the pit of Murphy's stomach. 

"How much time do we have left before the wave?" He asks. He already knows the answer, looking at Raven's crumpling face. 

"Not long." She whispers. "With my brace- I- I can't run- Emori and Echo don't know how to work the dish- we won't make it, without it." 

Murphy inhales deeply. 

He's not going to have a lot of breaths left. 

"I'll go." He grabs a radio, snatching it out of Emori's relaxed fingers before she can protest and tucking it into one of his pockets, turning on his heel and running. "If I'm not back in time, don't wait for me." 

" _John!"_ Emori cries out- surprisingly, it's Echo that holds her back, years of Azgeda training coming handy as she keeps Emori from struggling, tightening her grip around her. Murphy nods at her, but it's Echo who sends him the silent thank you. 

"Raven, promise me." He snarls from the doorway of the lab. "If I don't make it, you'll go. Don't even wait an extra second. _Promise me."_

A beat, until she's nodding slowly, tearfully- there's no _if_ he doesn't make it

 _When_ he doesn't make it.

Emori is shouting unintelligibly- Murphy sends her a sad smile, his final betrayal, before turning. 

Murphy sprints out to the tower, the sky stained a scarlet red, the air ominously hot, his hands finding the ancient box of operations at the base. He wrenches it open with all the brute strength he can muster. 

" _Murphy."_ Raven's voice crackles through the radio as he's punching the buttons, glaring up at the dish and begging it to move. " _Murphy, status!"_

The dish doesn't move. 

"I'm going to have to climb the tower." Murphy snaps, already crawling up the bars. "The fucking buttons aren't doing shit."

" _Murphy, what the hell is going on?"_ Bellamy's panicked voice comes through the frequency, and Murphy's hit with a pang of misery. " _Where the fuck are you?"_

"Fill him in, Raven, I'm a little preoccupied here." Murphy growls, slowly but surely climbing his way up. It's really fucking hot, the clouds in the sky are swirling dangerously. He blinks the sweat out of his eyes, his muscles aching and burning, but he persists. 

" _The satellite dish needs to be adjusted or we'd never make it to the Ring."_ Raven's shaky voice says. " _Manually."_

" _There's no time! Murphy, there's no fucking time!"_ Bellamy screams into the radio. " _Clarke, let me go-_ Murphy! _Come back, please-_ " 

Murphy accepts his fate as he stands atop the tower, taking only a second to look at the view, his last look at the land he'd fallen in love with and grown to hate, minutes from obliteration. 

' _I'll die with the Earth.'_ Murphy muses, pulling at the satellite dish. ' _I'll die on the Ground.'_

"Bellamy." He pants as he tugs the dish. "Relax. You and Clarke take care of them." 

He hears a struggle through the radio, unintelligible conversation and raised voices. 

"In peace, may you leave this shore." Murphy mutters into the radio, groaning with the weight of the dish. He hears sniffles, a cry, through the connection- maybe there's multiple of them, maybe they're mourning already. "In love, may you find the next. Safe passage on your travels, until our final journey to the ground. Or to the Ark, this time. Semantics."

" _No, c_ _ome back, Murphy!"_ Bellamy pleads. " _You won't make it if you don't leave now!"_

Murphy pushes the the satellite dish with the last of his energy, slumping against it with heavy breaths. 

"You guys will, though. Blast off, Raven." Murphy murmurs as he begins his leisurely climb down the tower. In the distance, he thinks he sees a wall of fire, and he squints. "May we meet again."

Praimfaya. It's just as intimidating and terrifying as he'd imagined it would be- a red tsunami that speeds towards him dangerously.

" _May we meet again, Murphy."_ Raven's echoing voice is sputtering out, but it sounds sad all the same. He hopes this will make up for what he's taken from her. 

He makes a dash for Becca's lab as the heat becomes unbearable, his face burning up and the air becoming thin. He watches the rocket explode upwards, the radiation wave so very close. He prays to whatever higher power, _any_ higher power, that they're fast enough, that they'll make it.

"Parting-" Murphy wheezes into the radio- for _him,_ only for him- as he runs, his flesh feeling like it was melting. "- such sweet sorrow." 

He thinks he hears a sob, through the radio, low and loud, masculine, as Murphy's hands find the the door to Becca's lab, his skin covered in red sores that boil painfully. 

" _We'll be back, Murphy!"_ Bellamy's rough voice is breaking up. " _Murphy, I-"_

The frequency is destroyed as Becca's lab vibrates, just as Murphy slams the door shut. He tears off his hazmat suit, his skin on fire and braces himself against the table, coughing sickly as his lungs protest weakly. 

When he opens his eyes, he sees black blood splattered onto the desk, dripping down his lips and onto the floor. 

Murphy finally falls to his knees and lets himself cry. He wonders what Bellamy was trying to tell him as he wipes his mouth, fingers coming back black.

* * *

Murphy doesn't know how long he's been walking in the scorching wasteland the once lively Ground had been. It's so similar to the desert he'd followed Jaha across, no water, not a cloud in the sky and not an inch of shade to rest under. So he walks, even when his limbs are weak and his joints are shaky.

It's been 58 days since Praimfaya, a week since he left Becca's lab and survived, and he's exhausted. He's almost out of water, he ate his last ration minutes earlier, and the Tower of Polis had collapsed onto the Bunker during the end of the world. 

He'd seen the splinters of the Commander's throne, days earlier, where Ontari had sat after murdering the whole Conclave. It makes him feel sick, the memory of her, his stomach twisting, and the only reason Murphy hadn't retched onto the ruins was because there was simply nothing in his stomach to come up. 

And now here he walks, across a seemingly endless stretch of _nothingness,_ barren sand and dried up Earth and the fragile skeletons of the trees and the birds. It breaks his heart, but he can't waste his tears when he's so close to dehydrating. 

Murphy thinks about his boot sinking into damp peat of the Earth for the first time. He relives his first breath of lively Earth air, sweet and overwhelming. The first time he was woken up by birds in the morning instead of the automated Ark lights, and how the glow from the sun had filtered through the flaps of his and Bellamy's thin tent. The first time he saw a deer running free, the first time he felt the rough bark of a tree, the first time he picked a flower and sneered at the sight of it tucked into Bellamy's thick curls. 

It's not enough, and Murphy sinks to the ground with a sob, the hot sand burning his knees through his old cargo pants. He's so tired. He's so, so tired. He shakily reaches for his gun, the gleam of the pistol so inviting, his finger laying on the trigger so naturally. 

"I can't do this." Murphy weeps, glaring at the blue sky like it's laughing at him. "I'm done! Do you hear me?" 

He moves the barrel of the gun to his temple, tears leaving clean streaks down his filthy face, his hand trembling. 

"I've lost _everything!"_ He screams at the sky, so bright and happy while he's suffering. He's so _sick_ of suffering. "I've lost my friends! My father! My mother! I've got _nothing left!"_

He squeezes his eyes shut until his eyelids are decorated with dancing stars. 

Maybe he'll get to see his mom and dad again. 

He counts himself down. 

Five.

_He's getting hung, his hands desperately clawing at the seatbelt that circles his throat. Bellamy looks at him coldly, but his mouth is slightly downturned in a frown as he watches Murphy kick helplessly._

Four.

_He's in the Grounder camp- he's not sure if he even has the energy to scream, anymore, as they cut into him for the hundredth-thousandth-millionth time. He's lost count, and the feeling of hot, sticky blood trailing down his torso is becoming familiar._

Three.

_Ontari has a chain around his neck, he feels like a dog, being pulled along at her every will and fancy. The binds hurt, everything hurts, and it only continues to hurt when she forces him onto the bed, chains and all._

Two. 

_Emori has his hand on her cheek, only minutes before they're being bound up to be Abby Griffin's little lab rats. A lone tear drips down her pale face, making her blue tattoo glisten delicately. They're over, they're done, and Murphy bitterly wonders if he's worthy of the love he so desperately craves._

One- 

A squawk interrupts Murphy's reverie, and his eyes fly open, the sun blinding him temporarily. There's a _bird,_ a _vulture,_ looking back at him with beady eyes, cocking it's neck curiously. 

_Alive._

The surge of hope Murphy feels is almost an overdose, a smile flashing over his face as he focuses on the animal. He fights his every urge to shoot it right then and there, his stomach tightening painfully. 

"Come on, birdie." Murphy whispers softly, not feeling the slightest bit stupid at talking to an animal. "Show me where you live." 

As if it could hear him, the bird turns on it's foot, waddling up the dune. Murphy quietly walks after it, careful not to scare it off. He trudges onwards, his body sore and tired, but there is still life on Earth, aside from him, and damn if he's not going to find it. 

The morning slowly melts into the afternoon, the sun beating down on Murphy's bare face. He refuses to lose hope as he follows the stupid bird, stubbornly walking meters behind it for hours. 

He has nothing to lose, he thinks, as he remembers how close he'd been to ending it all. 

The bird walks up an abnormally large dune, and Murphy sighs as he begins the climb, stretching his limbs as they protest from exhaustion. He's tired, filthy, thirsty and hungry. He never thought he'd miss the Skybox when he had been dragged out of it, but lo and behold- desperate times call for desperate measures. 

Murphy finally reaches the top of the dune, and what he looks down on makes him clap his hand over his mouth in shock. 

Life. Thriving like it had when Murphy first stepped on the Ground. Green bushes and trees, leafy and full, dancing slowly from a low wind, flowers dotting the grassy valley. He hears the faint sound of rushing water, tinkling windchimes, singing birds. Small cabins populate the land, painted bright colours, vibrant under the sun. He's not sure how it survived Praimfaya- was the valley low enough, that the radiation wave had just- just _skipped_ it?

No matter. It was the least of his priorities, and Murphy wouldn't bite the hand that fed him.

He walks down the valley, giggling almost maniacally at the sights and sounds, his dried face feeling like it'd been cracked open. Maybe he'll survive this, survive the six years that he'd have to wait for his friends to come down. He notes a rover, old and creaky, sitting next to one of the homes- he'll find a way to purpose it. 

A sign, seemingly half destroyed- does it say Doah? Murphy inspects it only once before moving on, the name of the clan that had resided here on the tip of his tongue. He curiously looks at the houses, devoid of noise, before gingerly pushing the door of the largest structure open. 

The smell hits him first, rotting flesh sadly all too familiar to Murphy, and he fights a gag, covering his face with his arm as he squints, looking into the musty room. 

Dead bodies, seated in rows, bodies slumped over and festering in the heat. The stench is unbearable, and Murphy scurries backwards, slamming the door shut before staring at the door with sad eyes. 

The radiation must have killed them- to be in the Valley wasn't enough to keep them alive. 

He leaves the building alone, queasily thinking about the lives that hadn't made it to the Bunker, hadn't made it to the rocket, until he decides to follow the sound of rushing water.

The river is the most beautiful thing Murphy's seen in a while, cool and inviting, the current fast. Murphy strips down to his filthy boxers, trudging into the stream and finally letting himself fall into it, the cold enveloping his sunburnt and sore body, the current massaging all the knots and strains in his muscles, cleaning away the dirt and sand from his travels. When he finally comes up for air, his skin is adorned only by past scars and burns, not an inch of filth remaining. He scrubs the grease from his hair, sticking to his head unflatteringly, dripping down his bare back and torso. 

When Murphy's finally chided himself out of the water, letting himself air dry under the sun, he fills his canister of water, pleased that he wouldn't die from drying out or dehydrating after surviving the literal _apocalypse._

He reaches into his bag, pulling out the radio he'd taken from Emori those couple months ago, flicking it on and hearing the radio static. 

"I don't know if any of you can hear me-" Murphy pauses, swivelling his head around as if someone could listen in on his conversation. "- but I'm okay. I- I'm alive, at least. I found this valley, with trees, water, flowers, grass, animals - Praimfaya must have just- just _skipped_ over it. I don't know how, and I don't really care, to be honest." 

He shrugs his pants on, lodging the radio between his cheek and shoulder, clumsily pulling them up. 

"A clan lived here." Murphy talks, like he's having a conversation.

Like he's not completely alone in this valley. Like he's not completely alone for _six_ years.

"I'm trying to remember all the clans- Trikru, Azgeda, Floukru, _uh_ \- there's us, Skaikru- Emori _literally_ taught me about them- oh! Shallow Valley- Doah- it's Kliron Kru. Huh. Anyways, they're all dead. The wave skipped over the valley, but the radiation's still in the air." 

He sits back down on a dry rock, looking over the river, at the trees. Only a couple months without them, but Murphy had missed them dearly. 

"So, obviously, the nightblood worked." Murphy sighs. "I can't access the bunker- the Tower collapsed onto it. I don't know how to get to Alpha station- it's a pretty long walk, anyways." 

A flash of movement in the corner of his eye. Murphy pauses his speech, whirling his neck around to where he'd seen it. The brush stood still, but Murphy eyed it suspiciously anyways. 

"That's weird." Murphy mumbles into the radio. "Thought I saw something. Must be going crazy already. Anyways- six years. Survive 'em. Hopefully that damn oxygenator works. Monty- uh, you feed them, alright? Harper, make sure Monty makes you guys some fucking booze. Emori- I'm alive, right? Don't feel guilty or anything- damn, this is difficult. Clarke- I'm not going to tell you what to do because that's just against the laws of nature and all that. Echo- teach them to fight, or something? You're pretty good with those swords, I guess. Raven- do your stupid mechanic thing. Thank you for promising me you would leave without me." 

His breath catches a little. 

"Bellamy- uh-" Murphy rubs his eyes, mouth parted as he tries to find the right words to say. "I don't know what you were trying to tell me, when you guys blasted off- the connection broke. Maybe one day when you guys come back down you can tell me in person. Til' then, Rebel King." 

Murphy laughs, surprised to find it sounding a little watery, his fingers coming back from his eyes wet. 

"Um- see ya, guys." Murphy finishes awkwardly, until the radio static is silenced, and he slides it back into his bag. 

The water rushing fills the silence, the unrelenting sun finally beginning to set on the horizon, washing the valley with a golden glow, and Murphy feels somewhat at ease. 

After a while, he gets up with more vigour, the most energy he's had in weeks. There's lots to do- inventory, for a start. He's not repeating the same disaster that happened in Chris' bunker. Then, he'll burn the dead on a pyre, wish them safe passage on their travels- it's the least he could do, he supposes, after intruding in on their home. Not like he has anywhere to be anytime soon. The rover- he's watched Raven and Sinclair enough to know some _basics-_ maybe he can find a way to Alpha Station, scavenge for supplies if he needs them. He'll wash his clothes, he'll look for weaponry, he'll _live._

He finds an empty house, devoid of death and the smell of it- it instead smells quite pleasant, floral and fresh. He drops his bags to the floor and drops into the bed, moaning at how he sinks into it, his head hitting the pillow and eyes fluttering slowly.

All those things that he needs to do- well, they can wait till the morning, he supposes, and sleep welcomes him with open arms. 

* * *

When he wakes up, it's to the sight of a feral looking child. He startles, at the sight of her piercing eyes looking at him. Her face is filthy, stained with dirt and soot, her hair long and matted, her clothes tattered and worn. 

Murphy blinks once, then twice, then another ten times for good measure. 

A human being. Alive, survived Praimfaya. 

He blinks once more. 

"Hello?" Murphy whispers, trying to mellow his voice from his normal sharp tone. She cocks her head to the side, still gazing at him. He feels slightly unsettled, at how she's looking at him. 

He's not _alone._

" _Do you speak English?"_ Murphy asks again, exercising his rusty Trigedasleng- she doesn't openly respond, but he sees her head twitch, as if she was ready to nod. 

Instead, the girl spins on her heel and runs out the open door. A split-second, and Murphy's jumping out of the bed to dash after her, his bare feet pattering through the green grass. 

She seems to be taking him in the direction of the river, but Murphy keeps his eyes on his feet- this is unfamiliar territory, he's not wearing shoes, he needs to be careful. He's met a few good Grounders, but many more bad ones. 

The girl turns around a rock, and Murphy speeds up, running, running, running- 

_Stop._

He halts quickly, almost losing his balance and teetering over a malicious looking bear trap, the claws shining intimidatingly in the morning sun. It's sharp- Murphy guesses it might have cut into his bone. 

The girl was going to _trap_ him. Clever- she was a survivor, that was for a fact. 

Just like him.

He studies the claws carefully, his mouth stretching into a small smile before he throws his head back and laughs. 

It rings all through the valley, echoing and bouncing around the dunes. 

"Kid, you're good. It would've worked on anybody else." He calls amusedly. "I'm going back to the house." 

He's already walking back when he stops again. 

"I won't hurt you." He shouts for good measure, feeling hopeful and smiling slightly. "You're the only other living person I've seen in months." 

* * *

"So I wake up this morning, right-" Murphy says into the radio. He's sitting atop of the scarlet coloured roof of his new house, hoping that maybe he can get a better signal. It's a lost cause, he knows, deep down, but there's no harm in trying. 

So he tries. 

"- And there's this little _girl_ staring at me." Murphy laughs slightly. "I'm not the only one alive, down here. She's got to be a nightblood- one unclaimed by the Conclave or something. She tried to lead me into a bear trap- kid's smart, I'll give her that." 

He keeps his eyes sweep over the village, eyes waiting for any movement, perhaps a head of unruly matted hair, a young girl quick on her feet. No luck, so far, but Murphy can wait. He's got all the time in the world. 

"Her whole clan died in front of her." He sighs. "She and I- I think we're all alone, in this valley. The only habitable place on Earth, as far as I can tell- across the desert from Tondc. The water, the trees, everything but the people were untouched." 

Murphy frowns in the direction of what he guesses was the town hall, or a gathering area- where he'd found all the bodies. 

"I'll build a pyre." Murphy keeps going. "I'll burn the dead. Or maybe I'll ask the kid what Kliron Kru do with their bodies. I dunno." 

He sighs. "Bellamy, Clarke- you'd know what to do. If you were down here. You guys probably would have gotten into the bunker. Or maybe found away to get from the tower onto the rocket on time. There's this rover here- bet Raven would already have it up and working by now. Really, I'm lost." 

He's always had someone to look to- Murphy realises. A leader- Jaha, Kane, Bellamy, Clarke. A friend- Mbege, Emori. Always somebody- never himself. 

"I hope that kid comes back." He admits. "It'd be nice to not be alone. I'm gonna go get started on the bodies, maybe." 

He clicks the radio off, sliding it back into his waistband before scaling the house and landing back on the floor gracefully. 

When he enters the house, he flinches again- the girl _is_ back, sitting on his bed gingerly, her feet dangling and not touching the floor. She clutches a flower, slightly limp but still a vibrant pink, in her small, meaty hands. 

"Hey, kid." Murphy says casually, not wanting to scare her off. She glances down at his ankle, free of cuts or blood. Murphy rolls his eyes as he realises she's wondering why he wasn't stuck in the bear trap. 

"I saw it." He explains, setting his bag down on the polished wooden table. "It was a good idea, thought. Next time, hide it with some leaves- then the sunlight won't make it shine." 

The girl purses her lips slightly, looking at him blankly. Murphy thinks he's going to have to practice his Trig a little more.

Then, she raises her hand, holding the flower out to him. A peace offering.

"Madi. Kliron Kru. I am seven." She says quietly, the first real voice Murphy's heard in so long. 

Murphy grins at her before pulling out a chair from the table, sitting in it easily. He reaches out and takes the flower from her waiting hand, rolling the root between his calloused fingers. 

"Madi? Is that your name?" Murphy asks- she nods, folding her hands in her lap. "I'm Murphy. I'm a Sky Person." 

Madi's eyes widen marginally, and for a second, he's worried he's ruined it, that she was going to run off in fear, never be found again, claimed by the wasteland. 

" _Skaikru?"_ She asks, her voice raising a pitch, her voice breathy. 

She's _excited,_ Murphy realises. There's a faint smile on her lips, and she's looking at him like he's something wonderful, something rare, a new plaything. 

"Yeah." He says dumbly. "Skaikru." 

"I've never saw a Sky Person before." She says shyly, scratching her head. Her hair, that's knotted and matted together. 

"Well, I've never seen a Kliron Kru person before." He says lightly. "Especially one as dirty as you! How about a bath in the river?" 

She giggles a little, hopping off the bed and making her way to the door. Madi pauses at the door, looking at him expectantly. 

She's _waiting_ for him.

"Alright kid," Murphy sighs, standing up, grabbing his bag. "But you can't lead me into another bear trap!" 

He follows her tinkling, childish laughter as she runs ahead, so youthful and free- perhaps not yet understanding all that had happened around her. Murphy's heart squeezes a little, and he thinks perhaps this he can take care of this child, just for a few years. 

* * *

"How come you can speak English?" Murphy asks. 

Murphy's underneath the Rover, oil smearing on his cheeks as he attempts figuring out what was wrong with the vehicle. Madi sits on the hood of the car- she's much cleaner, much more open with Murphy then when she found him those couple weeks ago. 

They had burned the dead in the fire- Murphy had painstakingly dragged every rotting body onto the structure of wood, the smoke spiralling into the sky and all the way to the stars. Maybe the Ark could see it. 

It brings Murphy some semblance of comfort, believing that maybe Bellamy could see the bonfire in their little Garden in a large graveyard. 

Madi's lip had trembled, as the fire roared, grabbing his hand as a few tears rolled down her face. Murphy hadn't known what to do, when her little fingers had clutched his, fingers that had been stained with the blood of so many. 

He had given her hand a squeeze, and they'd watched the fire burn, burn, burn, only finally dying out in the early hours of the morning. 

"I am going to be a warrior." Madi says, carefully, slowly, from her perch on the hood. "Warriors know English- it's the language of the Coalition." 

Murphy whistles as he works the wrench into the machinery. "That's a big word, kid." 

He rolls out from underneath the Rover- Madi looks a bit sleepy, to him, her eyelids fluttering, and she's resting her head on a hand propped up on her lap, her feet swinging slowly from the hood. He looks up to the sky, that's streaking pink, the sun falling down the valley as the stars make their way up. 

Murphy sighs. "Come on, Madi- you can go to sleep. It's getting late anyways." 

She groans, a little, making grabby hands. Murphy looks skywards for strength before he comes closer to her, letting her wrap her arms around his neck and latch onto him. He carries her all the way back to the House, where Madi now stays in the second bed. He props her down on the bed, and she crawls under the covers tiredly. Madi peers up at him, ready to turn around and go back to work on the rover. 

"Can you tell me a story?" She whispers quietly. "About the Sky People?" 

Murphy slowly looks back to her, her and her hopeful eyes, fingers squeezing the covers that are pulled up to her chin. He pinches the bridge of his nose- was he like this, as a child?

"One story." He warns. "And then it's bedtime." 

She nods, so Murphy sits in the rickety wooden chair facing her, propping his feet up on the edge of the bed. 

"I'll tell you about my friend Bellamy." Murphy says softly, ignoring how saying his name makes his stomach wrench and his throat tighten. He searches for the right words, to begin.

"So... Bellamy wasn't supposed to come down to the Ground. He was supposed to stay up in the sky, where we're from." 

Madi turns on her side, facing him. 

"His sister was coming down, though. She was in jail- like me. And they were sending people from jail down. The original Sky People- they were called the Hundred, because there were one hundred of us, and we were all from jail." He explains slowly. "So he came down to protect her. He- he was a leader. He was brave. He didn't like the rest of the Sky People, just like us jail people didn't like them." 

"Why?" Madi interjects. 

"We didn't like them because they put _us_ in jail. Bellamy didn't like them because they put his _sister_ in jail. They sent us down here, to the Earth, even if we didn't know we could live on it." 

Madi nods, so Murphy continues, a nostalgic smile playing at his lips. "Bellamy was a rebel. We called him the Rebel King. Us jail people, we liked rebels. So we did what we wanted, on the Ground- for the first time in a long time, we were all free. He showed us we could be free. He made some mistakes-" 

"Like what?" She chimes. 

Murphy tuts. "You're too young for some of the stories, kid. But he made some mistakes, and he fixed them. He, and my other friend, Clarke- they led Skaikru together. They helped defeat the Mountain Men-" 

"They defeated the _Mountain Men?"_ Madi says excitedly, her eyes blown wide. "How did they defeat the Mountain Men?" 

"Too young. I'll tell you when you're eight." He chides, sticking his tongue out when she pouts. "Another day. They helped defeat the Mountain Men, they helped protect Polis, and eventually, Lexa allowed Skaikru to be apart of the Coalition-" 

"You knew the Heda?" Madi's constant excitement only grates on Murphy's nerves a little. It's mostly endearing, the constant anticipation, how she hangs on to his every word. 

"Not personally." He confesses. "But Clarke- she knew Lexa very well- your clan might know Clarke as Wanheda." 

Madi's eyebrows fly up. "You know _Wanheda?"_

Murphy nods, smiling a little, albeit a little sadly. "We've had out differences- but... in the end, we were friends." 

"Wow." Madi breathes, before turning to stare at the ceiling. 

He claps, standing up and pushing the chair in without fanfare. "Now, sleep." 

She opens her mouth to protest, flashing the little gap in her teeth.

"No buts!" Murphy sends her a pointed look, and she groans before turning around to sleep. Murphy glances over her form one more time before gently shutting the door, climbing onto the roof as quietly as he could.

The valley looks colder, illuminated by the starlight and moon, but it's breathtaking either way, and he takes a minute to absorb the atmosphere. He turns the radio on, the familiar static tone enveloping him like a warm hug. 

"Hey, Bellamy-" He doesn't know when he started only speaking to _Bellamy,_ as opposed to the rest of them- he supposes it was just easier, speaking to one instead of the collective. He was comfortable, with it being Bellamy.

Bellamy, who probably couldn't hear him. 

(Deep, deep down, he holds onto the sliver of hope that maybe, just _maybe,_ the Ark _can_ hear him. That Bellamy _is_ listening)

"- I told Madi a story about you, today." Murphy chuckles. It's dry- there's not really anything funny about it, but Murphy's always nervous, talking into the little radio. 

"She was so excited, to hear about the great _Rebel King,_ and Clarke. _Wanheda._ She knows English because she was going to be a warrior- you know how all the clan warriors know English. Maybe I'll help her train- it'll give her something to do, instead of watching me do jack shit all day." 

"Don't worry." Murphy breathes, looking to the sky as he leans back, the tile of the roof digging into his spine. "I didn't talk about the hanging. Or the banishment. I'll save Mount Weather for when she's older. I'll save all the _hard_ stories for when she's older." 

He inhales deeply, counting the stars absently. One of the bright spots is the Ark, he knows it is. 

"I want her to see you guys as heroes." Murphy says. "You guys _are_ heroes. Without any one of you- you, Clarke, Monty, Raven, Harper- hell, even Emori and Echo- things wouldn't turn out this way. It could've been so much worse, Bell. But here I am, alive. And there you are. Up there." 

He traces his fingers along the stars, connecting the dots. 

"I'll tell her about you guys. And Jasper. Octavia. Abby, Kane, maybe even Jaha- I can use him for the scary stories. It'll help me remember you- I'd never forget you assholes, anyways." 

Murphy clicks the radio off, silence reigning the valley once more, before shoving it back into his pocket. He slides down the gutter and patters back into the House. Soft snores fill the room, signalling Madi's slumbering state. 

He looks over her, at her peaceful form, her face relaxed. She's calm. 

Murphy gently tucks the blanket around her sleeping figure, pressing her pillows softly together. If he pats her hair gingerly before making his way to his own bed, nobody will ever know. 

* * *

Murphy whoops as the ignition sputters on, the rover growling. Madi kicks her feet from where she's sitting shotgun, her hair tied up in a lopsided ponytail to keep it from sticking to her neck in the humidity. Murphy sighs at the state of it. She'd need a haircut, soon. Maybe he could figure out how to braid it.

"So if I plug in the right coordinates-" Murphy grumbles, scratching his head as he tries to remember where Alpha Station was. "- this will lead me there." 

He pushes at the rickety touchscreen, pressing numbers until the dashboard beeps at him. The GPS brightens up, a dim map for Murphy and Madi to inspect excitedly. 

"Alright kid, we're going on a field trip." Murphy says, grabbing the seatbelt from Madi's other side and clicking it on for her. "Alpha Station." 

They roll out of the valley, pushing carefully up the steep dune- he narrows his eyes in concentration as he presses the gas. 

He doesn't know how to drive the thing, really, but how hard could it be?

"What's Alpha Station?" Madi chirps, sticking her head out the window as the begin to rumble along the wasteland, the wind blowing at her already distressed hair until it's falling out of the ponytail, the piece of wire that had been holding it together hanging on loosely. 

She really needs a haircut. 

"After we were sent down- the original one hundred Sky People-" Murphy says, eyes pasted through the windowshield. "- The rest of our people came down to follow us. Their ship was- _is-_ called Alpha Station. That's where Skaikru lived, for a while." 

"Why are we going there?" Madi asks again.

Murphy takes a second to roll his eyes at her- _damn_ , kids ask a _lot_ of questions. "To look for some supplies. Maybe find you some scissors for that bird's nest on your head." 

It's not a lie- Murphy really _does_ want to look for some supplies. But he also knows the radio signal at Alpha Station could possibly have a connection to the Ark- hell if he's not going to _try._

Madi looks around silently at the barren desert, chewing her lip. Murphy, with a pang, realises it's probably the first time she's seen what happened during Praimfaya, and hopes she doesn't start crying.

She was a smart girl, sticking to Shallow Valley. 

As they roll into Alpha Station territory, Murphy's throat tightens at the sight of the blackened parts, consumed by the fire. The rover putters to a stop at the Arkadia gate, the sign half collapsed and burnt. 

"Home sweet home." Murphy mutters, undoing his seatbelt, then Madi's. He jogs around the front of the rover to open the door for Madi, helping the small girl down from the high seat. She's bouncing on her toes, at the sight of the large ship. 

"You can go explore." Murphy allows, and she dashes off immediately.

He watches as she swivels her head around before following her slowly, with casual steps. 

"If there's something wrong, scream." He warns, before he finally loses her to the inside of Alpha Station. He enters not long afterwards, peeking into the rooms cautiously. 

He finds the large hangar, where all the Rovers and tech had been. If he closes his eyes, he could imagine Raven swinging around and under all the equipment, screwdriver stuck in her large ponytail and a wrench between her teeth. Bellamy would be strutting around, in his guard's uniform, toting that gun- ever so deadly with the wicked shot he had, Clarke not far behind, with her head full of ideas waiting on the tip of her tongue. Harper would be polishing her guns, taking care of them delicately while Monty is outside fighting with Jasper once again.

Only if he closes his eyes.

Murphy finds a small box, innocent and looking out of place next to all the empty solo cups- was there a party, here, before Praimfaya? 

He opens the box gingerly, reaching into it. He pulls out a familiar looking pair of goggles, a dusty pink iPod, and a letter, with the name _Monty_ written on in it in a looping scrawl. 

These belonged to Jasper- Murphy realises this miserably, his hands shaking while they hold the goggles, slightly dusty along the rims.

Jasper, who had to have died in Mount Weather with the girl he'd fallen in love with.

Murphy hadn't been at Mount Weather, when the genocide happened, but it was a weight that so many of his friends bore all the same. Clarke had left, had adopted her title as _Wanheda._ Monty chased after Jasper at every turn- listened to his every stinging word, watched over him in his troubled sleep. Bellamy drowned himself in work.

Jasper drowned himself in the bottle, then in the radiation. 

The letter makes him curious, a morbid fascination with the messy handwriting- Murphy's so tempted to open it and read it, but he scolds himself out of it, instead tucking the three items into his satchel. He'll give the letter and goggles to Monty when he comes back down- Murphy's sure he'd appreciate it. 

" _Murphy!"_ Madi's shrill voice calls. His heart drops out of his chest and onto the floor, and he chases the echo, his feet pounding into the metal floor ominously. 

He finds her alone, completely safe, and he catches his breath before losing it again when he sees what she's looking at. 

"What's this?" Madi asks. 

The airlock is just as ominous as it had looked in space, even with the risk of being floated gone. Murphy feels discomforted at the sight of it, with the thick glass panes and the long lever beside it. 

His father had been in this airlock. The body of his dead mother. 

"Back to the rover, kid. I need to climb to the top for something." He says gruffly, tearing his eyes away from it. Madi seems to sense his underlying tone of warning, so she quickly darts past him, back down the corridor and out to the rover. 

Murphy finally makes his way to the top of Alpha Station after scaling it carefully, pulling the radio out of his bag and setting it gently next to him. The radio static is faster, louder, and for a split second, Murphy's hopeful. 

"Hello?" He whispers into it. 

A second. 

A minute. 

Two minutes. 

The only sound that comes to him is the buzz, bouncing through his skull repeatedly. 

"I should've known it wouldn't work, Bellamy. Good things don't happen to bad people." Murphy murmurs into the radio all the same, rubbing his damp eyes roughly. "Anyways- I'm at Arkadia, right now- thought maybe I'd get a better signal. I got the rover up and running, obviously- tell Raven, I bet she'd be proud of me. I went to the hangar- it's weird, seeing it so empty. And silent. Finally, some peace and quiet. Hah." 

Murphy squints his eyes, staring at the rover. He sees Madi sitting on the hood patiently, and she gives him a timid wave. He waves back before turning his attention back to the radio. 

"I found some of Jasper's stuff." He says softly, his tone dropping sadly. "His goggles. An iPod- Mount Weather, right? And a letter- it's for Monty. Don't worry, I didn't open it. But if you could let him know, that I have it- I'll keep it for him. I'll keep it safe." 

"Madi's doing alright." He continues, looking up to the sky. It's still early in the day- the sun is out, shining on him, and his eyes ache, sweat trickling down the nape of his neck and onto his shirt. "It'd be handy, if I were a girl, or had a little sister like you- her hair's getting really long, and _damn,_ it's difficult to tie up."

Madi begins to look impatient, her face twisting annoyedly. Murphy scowls slightly. 

"Maybe I'll call again, later. I think she wants to go back to the valley." Murphy mumbles. "Signing off for now. See you next time, Bell." 

* * *

"I'm eight, now." Madi says impatiently, clambering onto Murphy's bed, tapping him frantically. He groans- the sun is _barely_ up, and he's not even finished blinking the sleep out of his eyes. 

It's been months, since he came back to the valley from Arkadia's ruins. He's established a routine. He takes care of Madi. 

The little girl is growing on him- he no longer finds it strange, when she does things like climb into his bed, climb into his personal space, bouncing on the mattress in a not-at-all subtle attempt to wake him up in the mornings. 

"Happy birthday, kid." Murphy croaks, his voice still raspy. "Eight years old. You're getting big." 

She puffs out her chest proudly, grinning toothily- Murphy can't help but mirror her smile, if not a little more wryly, before he shoos her off the bed so he could get up. 

"What do you want for your birthday?" He asks as he puts on a fresh pair of socks, clean from the river. 

Madi scratches her chin, eyes narrowed in thought. Murphy works while he waits for an answer, cracking eggs into a pan, provided by the ducks that came to sit in their river occasionally, collected by Madi on most mornings. 

"I want you to tell me stories." She exclaims, eyes alight. The sizzling of the eggs fills the room as Murphy turns to her, eyebrows furrowed confusedly. 

"I tell you stories almost every night, kid- you don't want anything different?" 

Madi bares her teeth- it's a nasty looking grin, and it makes Murphy nervous. It was alarmingly similar to the smile he sees in the mirror, when he looks at himself. 

"I pick." She smiles. "I get to ask questions, too, and you _have_ to answer them." 

Murphy sighs, ready to say no, but Madi gets there first. 

"You said you'd tell me when I was eight!" She whines. "Come on, Murphy, _please?"_

It's a battle of the wills, when they stare at each other in a glaring standoff- birds chirping and the eggs cooking fills the silence between them. Madi widens her eyes- _fuck,_ she _knows_ those puppy-dog eyes work on him and he scowls. Madi cheers when she realises she's won, and Murphy plates the eggs, settling two dishes in front of them with a clatter.

"Some stories are off limits till you're at _least_ ten." He warns wagging a finger at her.

She smiles at him, yellow egg yolk smeared over the corner of her mouth. Murphy sighs, licking his thumb irritatedly and wiping it off himself.

" _And_ you have to braid my hair." Madi crows, and Murphy flicks her on the nose.

* * *

They sit on the riverbank, dipping their bare feet into the cold current. A container of blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and raspberries sit between them, cold from where Madi had stored them in a shallow area of the watering hole. 

"Ask away, kid." Murphy pops a raspberry into his mouth, biting into it and pursing his lips as the sour juice spread over his tongue. Blegh. Raspberries were never his favourite. They're Madi's though, and she chomps on them happily, berry skin stuck to her teeth. Her hair has been successfully pulled back into two thick plaits, keeping the hair out of her eyes and face. It had been a difficult process, sweat and tears from both parties as he learned how to manipulate her hair, but he could finally say he was an expert at braiding. 

"I want to know why you use that- that _thingy_ every day. Who are you talking to? Where are they? Why are you _alone?_ " 

Murphy raises his eyebrows at her, ignoring how her questions seem to make his heart twist painfully, tugging at his heartstrings. "Pulling out the big guns, are we?" 

She smirks innocently, and Murphy rolls his eyes, pulling his satchel close and taking out the radio. 

"It's a radio." He explains, letting her hold it, inwardly praying she didn't drop it into the river. "I used to use it to talk to my friends when we were separated when we were all down here, on the Ground." 

Madi frowns. " _Used_ to?" 

Murphy wiggles his toes in the cold water awkwardly, searching for the right way to tell this story. It's still recent history- it hasn't even been a year, since Praimfaya. 

"You know how you and I- we're kind of alone, here? Because of our blood?" Murphy asks. Madi nods, listening intently. "Well- I used to have red blood. Our Skaikru doctor- she found out that we could _make_ nightblood, and that it could help us survive the radiation. The thing is- we didn't know if it was going to work. And the tests- well, they were dangerous." 

"But you took it." Madi interjects. Murphy nods, slowly, putting the radio away. 

"My friend- Emori- they were going to give it to her. But I didn't want her to be in danger, so they injected me instead. But then- Raven and Clarke-" 

" _Wanheda."_ Madi sighs dreamily, before piping down when Murphy looks at her snippily. 

"They destroyed the way we were going to test the nightblood." He continues. "Raven said we could go to space- back to the sky, where we're from. She's a pilot, and a mechanic- the smartest person I know. So we got ready to go to space. But the rocket couldn't launch because of an issue with the satellite. Someone had to stay behind and fix it so they could lift off." 

Madi looks at him, her mouth parted in shock. "You stayed?" 

Murphy shrugs, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "I was the only one with nightblood." 

"But you didn't know if it would work!" She cries out. Murphy shrugs again. 

"But it did." He says simply. "Our radio connection- it broke during the wave. I call them every day anyways- just in case they _can_ hear me. I can't hear them, though." 

Madi flops onto her back, eyes blown wide. "But you only call one person- Bellamy." 

Murphy scowls, his face flushing red- Madi flicks her eyes to him, face twisting into one of confusion before a lightbulb pops over her head. 

Fuck. 

"You- do you _like_ Bellamy?" She whispers like they're not the only two people in the Valley. Murphy rolls his eyes, scoffing, but his crimson cheeks give him away. 

"You're nosy." He growls. "Listening in on my calls." 

Madi sniffs. "I don't _listen_ in. I only hear you say Bellamy. And then you don't talk to the rest of them. You _like_ him." 

"Do _not."_ Murphy snaps quickly, affronted. Madi, who's now used to his quick temper and cranky demeanour, just smiles serenely at him. He feels childish, getting into an argument with an eight year old girl about something as silly as a _crush._

Madi sends him a knowing look before popping a raspberry in her mouth, smiling at him cheekily with juice stained teeth. 

"I wanna know more about Bellamy." She whines. "He was the first story you told me, but you _barely_ talk about him as much as the rest of them. Tell me more about the dropship- _ooh-_ tell me about the Mountain, too." 

Murphy eats another raspberry, savouring it in front of her as she glares- he really doesn't like raspberries all that much, but the pout Madi's face takes on is worth it. He doesn't think he wants to talk to Madi about the dropship- not quite yet.

Maybe when he stops dreaming about that red seatbelt, about chocolate swirling eyes and freckles that dot skin like stars claim the sky. 

"A lot of people are in the Mountain story." Murphy says, scratching his chin with sticky fingers as he tries to remember the tale- Harper had whispered it to him out of pity while they sat on the floor of Alpha station, when he'd been imprisoned and _alone._

"Don't care." 

Murphy chews on a strawberry- honestly, who would pick _raspberries_ over _strawberries?_ When he swallows it, swishing his pruning feet in the water, he begins; 

"I wasn't at the Mountain, when it all happened." He disclaims. "But a lot of my friends were. The Mountain- when the first bombs went off, a long time ago, lots of people went into the Mountain- there's a big bunker, there. It sealed them from the radiation. But there was a catch- they couldn't adjust to the radiation, so they couldn't leave the mountain without their skin burning." 

"Like the wave." Madi says smartly. Murphy nods at her. 

"Yes, like the wave." He affirms. "So they were taking people- people from the clans, to experiment on them in the Mountain. They also took forty-eight of the original hundred Sky People, and let them live in the Mountain. Clarke, Monty, Jasper, Harper and Miller were stuck in the Mountain- the Mountain Men would't let them leave, because they wanted to use our blood, so they could leave the Mountain, because we adjusted to the radiation- there's lots of radiation in space, so our bodies are used to it." 

"Cool." 

"It kind of is." Murphy admits. "Raven and Bellamy were on the outside of the Mountain- they needed to get in. There were lots of people trapped in the Mountain- people from Lexa's coalition. So when Clarke escaped, she and Lexa formed an alliance to save their people. Lexa broke the promise, though, when the Mountain Men promised that they would keep the Coalition safe- not including Skaikru." 

Madi gasps, as if affronted, but Murphy shakes his head. 

"I promise you, kid-" He sighs. "If you were Lexa, if _I_ was Lexa, if _Clarke_ were Lexa- we'd probably do the same thing." 

Madi opens her mouth, as if she's going to protest, all the childish naïvety showing. 

"Clarke had to make a decision like that, at Mount Weather." He says softly. "One that haunts her still." 

Madi chews at her lip, worrying the fragile skin. "What?" 

"In order to save the people, she had to let the radiation into the mountain." He says grimly. Madi's mouth drops open, letting her raspberry go onto the dirt, forgotten. 

He cuts her off before she replies. "She didn't _want_ to kill the Mountain Men- some of them were good. Some of them were friends. One of the Sky People, Jasper- our chemist- he fell in love, with one of the Mountain People. Maya. She died, saving the Sky People. It broke his heart." 

Madi's lip is trembling- so Murphy snaps his mouth shut, exhaling huffily. 

"Don't tell me eight isn't old enough to hear the Mountain story." He's half-begging- he doesn't know what he'd do if she started breaking down in front of him. 

"It is." She snaps. "I'm okay. Tell me another." 

The story obviously unsettled her, so Murphy obliges, racking his head for something lighter, something to make her laugh, maybe. 

"Bellamy and I used to share a tent." He starts carefully. The way Madi brightens up is immediate- waggling her eyebrows at him. He mockingly snarls at her before turning his attention back on the rushing river. "He was always really tired, from leading at the dropship. He was supposed to be this big macho man, all day- he's really quite soft, not at all this tough guy. He was so tired that he'd start _sleepwalking."_

Madi giggles, listening with rapt attention. Murphy pauses to help himself to another berry. 

"One night, after an _especially_ long day at the dropship, Bellamy comes into the tent and falls asleep in his cot instantly. I go to bed not long after. Then, a few hours later, something _collapsed_ onto me and woke me up." Murphy smiles a little at the memory, looking down awkwardly. "He had walked in his sleep into my bed- he's really heavy, so I couldn't breathe-" 

A peal of laughter erupts from Madi, and she clutches her stomach, vibrating with chuckles. Murphy looks at her patiently, unable to help his own growing amusement at the story. 

"- and I couldn't move him back to his bed. So he had to stay in my bed- and he _snores."_ Murphy finishes dramatically. "He did that around twice a week. Snores _just_ like you, kid." 

"I don't _snore."_ Madi squeezes between laughs. He lets her tinkling laughter die off, until the rushing water is the only sound between them. They eat their berries in comfortable silence, enjoying the good weather and atmosphere. 

"Can I talk to him?" Madi asks- when Murphy turns to her, she looks shy, very much like the dirty kid that he found sitting on his bed, looking at him carefully. 

"What?" He asks. "Bellamy?" 

She nods, a tiny twitch in her head. Murphy considers it, for a minute. 

"No monkey business," he warns, reaching into the bag easily. She scoots closer to him, the side of her small leg pressed up against Murphy's long one, looking at the radio curiously. 

"Hey, Bellamy," Murphy says into the static, feeling a little stupid under Madi's meticulous observation. "It's Madi's birthday today- so naturally, I have to give her the princess treatment, the little brat-" 

" _Heda_ treatment." She corrects, puffing her chest. "I could've been the commander." 

Murphy looks at her wryly. "Sorry, the _Heda_ treatment. Big eight, today. Anyways, she wants to say hello to you." 

Madi takes the radio from him with grabby-hands, her meaty fingers clutching around the metal. 

"Hello, _Belmy_." She stumbles over his name, eliciting a snort from Murphy. She glares at him half-heartedly before focusing on the radio once again. "Nice to meet you. I'm Madi, I'm eight years old, and I'm Kliron Kru." 

She unknowingly pauses, as if waiting for an answer, a half-beat passing before she realises there wasn't going to be one. She jumps back into easy chatter once again, naturally. 

Murphy's kind of proud. 

"Murphy tells me stories about you." She says conversationally. "He just told me how you used to sleepwalk into his bed. I thought it was very funny. He said you snore- but he also says I snore. I think Murphy's a liar." 

"Imp." He breathes, but Madi pays him no mind. 

"I have a very very important question for you." She says seriously, her gaze flicking to Murphy excitedly. Murphy furrows his eyebrows, confused, wondering what she has to say. 

"Do you like Murphy? Like, like-like?" 

"Oh, you are in trouble, kid." He snatches the radio from her as she doubles over with body-racking laughter, high-pitched and musical. "Bellamy, ignore that. You never heard that. Erase it from your memory- do _not_ tell Raven, she'll be _insufferable_ , so help me _God-"_

Madi's knocked over the remnants of the berries in her amusement, the last few raspberries rolling into the dirt or falling into the river. Madi frowns at them, suddenly looking all too sad for Murphy's liking. 

"And Blake, you _do_ snore. Now I have to get this big baby some raspberries- she just dropped them all when she thought she was being funny." Murphy finishes. "I'll call you tomorrow. See ya." 

He slides the radio into his bag, picking it up and holding a hand out for Madi to grab onto, lifting her up with a hefty groan. 

"That's what you get for monkey business." Murphy snipes. "But because it's your birthday, we'll get more berries." 

She beams at him, her clutch on his hand getting tighter as they walk the path back home. 

* * *

It's been a year and a half, since Praimfaya, and Murphy's calling Bellamy again. 

"It's cold." Murphy's teeth chatter as he keeps a careful eye on Madi, who's sliding over the frozen river. He'd checked, stomping on the thick sheet of ice, before letting Madi play on it, the only rule being that he had to be there to watch her. "We've gathered enough preserved meat, nuts and berries for the winter, I think. Almost ate a Jobi nut by accident- that would've been a nightmare. _Literally."_

Madi giggles as she slithers over the ice, spinning in circles till Murphy's dizzy just watching her. 

"Winter's short, though- besides, with all the heat and radiation and shit in the air- not like it could be too cold for too long. Last winter- _ugh,_ that was an experience." 

Madi tumbles towards him, reaching for the radio. "Lemme say hi." 

Murphy hands her the radio obligingly, and she plops down next to him on the frozen log, heaving weakly under their weight. It's normal, now, for Madi to speak into the radio, almost as often as Murphy- a way to pass the time, keep things interesting. Not much to do on the Ground, just the two of them, all alone for six years. 

"Hi Bellamy." She can pronounce his name properly, now, a long shot from the first time she tried. "The river's frozen- I'm trying to get Murphy to skate with me, but he won't- he tried last winter and he fell down. The ice where his nose hit was black for a _week."_

Murphy half-heartedly snarls at her, but it's no use. She'll find a way to tease him into the radio every time- he's long since given up. 

"But I bet if you were here, you'd hold his hand and make sure he doesn't fall." She waggles his eyebrows . Madi's nine, now, six months till she's ten- she gets mouthier every day, sounding more and more like Murphy as times ticks by. 

"Kid, I didn't _fall-_ I slipped _gracefully."_ Murphy nicks the radio from her hands easily, nimble fingers grabbing it by the antenna. She sends him a momentary glare before going back onto the river, sliding with ease. 

"God- I really hope I wasn't like that as a kid." Murphy mutters into the device, still watching Madi. "She's got a big mouth- what a goof. You'd probably say I'm the exact same. And I'd tell you that you're a liar. And then maybe you'd do something funny like... hang me." 

He snorts to himself, staring at the sky while the radio buzz chatters. 

"I thought it was funny." Murphy shrugs, turning his attention back to Madi. "I'm getting rusty- I can't practice being mean on Madi- she'd filet me three ways before I finish speaking. She's tough. Pretty good with a knife. Quick, too- nearly got me with that bear trap on the first day."

Murphy brushes his finger against the knife he keeps in his pocket, delicate and sharp. It's not the same knife that had him framed- he got rid of that one as soon as he'd been banished, the sight of it having made him sick. It's a new knife, fashioned by him from a bit of scrap metal that he'd found at Arkadia. 

He and Madi go and visit often- it's something to do, something to see. It also reminds Murphy of his friends. 

His _friends._ A long time ago, that concept would have been laughable.

"I think I'll teach her how to throw knives. I'll make her one." He says softly. It's beginning to snow, the flurry a sort of greyish colour, falling on his ruddy red nose and melting into cold water. "You taught me how to throw knives- _Madi, don't eat the snow!-_ The dropship- God, it feels like forever ago! You were weird. _I_ thought you were weird, anyways. So much older than the rest of us, bossing us all around- and you came up to Mbege and I. I thought you were gonna change my life." 

He takes another moment to glance up at the darkening sky, pale clouds blocking his view of the stars. 

"I think you did." Murphy murmurs. "That day you walked up to me, the first day on the Ground. You changed my life. And I hope you can hear this, because I'll never say it out loud again. Later, Bell." 

He notices that Madi's stopped playing with the snow, instead paused where she's standing on the ice. He scowls while he tosses the radio to the side, ready to turn around and bark at her- Madi _really_ needs to stop listening in on his conversations...

"Murphy." She whispers, her voice shaky. "The ice." 

His gaze moves down to the spot she's standing on, his heart dropping when he sees the crack spreading and splintering through the ice. The water has to be be _freezing_ underneath- and she'd sink with all the heavy clothing she's wearing that would get soaked in seconds. They don't have a lot of medicine, in the valley, and Murphy's brought back to a time where there was never enough medicine, and his parents were killed for it. 

It's not pleasant. 

He shakes the memories away, instead focusing on Madi.

"Stay there." Murphy holds his hand out, his voice steady. It's admirable, how calm he looks when his heart is racing a mile a minute. "I'm coming." 

He steps onto the ice carefully, testing his weight with each foot he puts forth. Madi's completely frozen where she stands, her hands upright to balance her. Murphy's stomach is in his throat with every step he takes, his heart twisting at the sight of Madi's fear. 

"Relax." He tries. "I won't let anything happen to you." 

The ice cracks again, spreading into smaller shards underneath Madi's feet- her face remains stoic, but her eyes are wide, hands trembling. She's tough, but how tough can a nine year old be? Murphy should've tested the ice better, should've brought them back before dark- 

He's almost there, a meter away from her. The closest crack to his foot is only centimetres away, and he gulps as he thinks of his next step. 

"Murphy, I'm scared." Madi mumbles, glancing at him with nervous eyes. Murphy chews on his lip- he's thinking, he needs time, there's never enough _time-_

Bellamy would know what to do. Clarke would know. Raven would know, even with that bad leg of her's. He racks his brain, trying to think of something helpful, something _useful-_

The ice gives one great heave before a crack sings through the air, and Madi yelps as the ice gives out beneath her. Murphy swiftly reaches out and grabs her by the underarms roughly, swinging her out of the broken ice just before she fell in, using her momentum to pull them both away from the cracking ice. They make a mad scramble for the riverbank, where Murphy's bag and radio lay innocently, and Madi collapses into his arms. She's shaking like a leaf, even though the pelts of many animals long deceased are wrapped around her, her feet slightly wet from her near-drop. 

"Fuck, kid." Murphy curses, a rare occurence in front of Madi, but he can't find it in himself to keep it in. He's surprised to feel his throat so tight, swallowing a lump. 

"That was really scary." Madi mumbles into his shoulder, wrapping her short arms around his neck. "I almost-" 

"I'd never let anything happen to you." Murphy echoes his earlier statement fiercely, overcome with how much he cared about this child he'd found in the village those couple years ago. He holds her a little tighter, edging them away from the river slowly, the hole in the ice looking as terrifying as it had been when Madi had stood on it. 

Murphy, who would have thrown anyone to the pits for a chance to see the sun another day- he no longer exists. Murphy now, _this_ Murphy- he would gladly give his life for a child. Give his life for a rocket to leave the Earth. Give his life for an experiment that could save them all. 

"You're all I've got, kid." He whispers into Madi's hair. "Even if you listen in on my conversations sometimes. And jump on my bed. And use my shirt to wipe the table. And scare the ducks away before they lay their eggs." 

She giggles a little, watery and anxious, even while her body is still racked with tremors. 

"Let's go back home." Murphy says easily, naturally. 

_Home._

He and Madi- they've built themselves a life. It's only completely truthful, when he says it- that he feels at home, in this little valley. 

* * *

"Double digits!" Murphy crows obnoxiously, settling a plate down in front of Madi- laden with eggs, fruit, and slivers of rabbit meat. "I've got something for you, kid." 

"I'm not a _kid_ anymore." Madi rolls her eyes at him while she digs into her food with vigour. "I'm _ten."_

"Still a kid to me, kid!" He says, overly-cheerful, sneering at her. It elicits a scowl from the young girl, which was exactly what Murphy had been hoping to see.

Brat. 

"What is it?" She feigns disinterest, but a slip in her tone gives her away. He bares his teeth at her in lieu of a grin before making a start on her hair, tugging strands of thick black hair into neat plaits. 

"Eat first." He mouths around the makeshift comb he holds between his teeth, fashioned from a stiff bit of petrified wood on the very edge of the valley, half destroyed by Praimfaya, half saved. 

Madi starts shovelling food in her mouth at an unimaginable speed, and Murphy flicks her in the ear. "You're going to make yourself sick. It's not going anywhere." 

They go about their morning in silence, the sun settling at it's high spot in the sky, warming the valley with a kind glow. The birds chirp outside, fluttering past the window of their small home. 

On the floor lays a deer pelt as a carpet- Murphy had set it there days after Madi had almost fallen into the river, insisting that it would keep her feet warm. They've hung all sorts of bits and bobs they've collected over the years- wooden trinkets from the other houses, glass chimes on the edges of their roof, many drawings that Clarke had left behind in Arkadia- Madi had insisted on bringing them back, especially the ones of Lexa, who she so deeply admired. Murphy had been resistant, at first- looking at these drawings of the late commander, in such a soft light, felt like he was barging in on Clarke's privacy. 

But along with the drawings of Lexa, there were drawings of them _all._ Sketches of Raven laughing with Sinclair, an especially old drawing of Jasper and Monty, arms around each other, mid-laugh. Jasper still had that messy mop of black curls on there- pre-Mount Weather, then. There's even one of Murphy- seventeen year old him, with his long hair and that chip on his shoulder- mid-knife fight with Wells. 

(Murphy keeps it, but doesn't display it with the rest of them)

One of Bellamy, standing in front of the dropship. He doesn't know how Clarke did it, but Murphy can see the cold strength in Bellamy's eyes, how he grips his gun with fervor, the way he carries himself with that tall posture. It's a beautiful drawing, and Murphy finds himself glancing it all too often, when he's home.

Murphy especially treasures one of both him and Bellamy- it's one of them in the elevator of the Tower of Polis, back to back with viciously ALIE-possessed Grounders cornering them. Clarke hadn't been there, in that moment- he supposes Bellamy must have told her about it, and she'd imagined it. She'd captured a pretty accurate image- Bellamy's gun is propped on his shoulder in pure concentration, his back pressed against Murphy's, hands up clutching a knife and pistol each. Their eyes are angry, fierce. The youthful spunk that they had landed on the Ground with.

They look powerful. They look _united._

So when Madi had asked to bring the drawings back, Murphy eventually gave in- maybe Clarke would appreciate that he saved them, intrusion and all. He pastes them on the wall with tree sap, next to the shelf that Jasper's goggles and letter sit on.

He's also built a ladder, to the roof- normally, he's alright with using the radio in front of Madi, nosiness and all, but there are some nights when he can't really ignore the tug at his heartstrings- maybe when he's been staring at the stars too long, or looking at the drawing of Bellamy's messy black curls and abundance of freckles- and he finds himself again on their little red rooftop. The paint is chipping, worn down with a lack of care and weather, but Murphy loves the spot anyways. 

"I'm finished." Madi says impatiently, washing her dish quickly in the basin of water in the corner. Her hair swings around in two tightly wound braids- Murphy takes a second to admire his handiwork, pleased that practice _does_ indeed make perfect. 

"Don't get your hopes up, kid." Murphy warns. "It's nothing special." 

He reaches under his bed, his hands finding a small box that he'd taken from Arkadia, while Madi sits next to him on the edge of the bed. She takes it from him gingerly, unlacing the carefully tied piece of twine that acted as a makeshift bow. 

Murphy scratches his head awkwardly- it's been a long time since he's given a gift.

He didn't think _just_ a story was enough for ten years old.

Madi uncaps the box, looking into it curiously, gasping as she grabs the first thing she sees. 

"No _way!"_ She exclaims, clutching her new radio. "Really?" 

Murphy nods, satisfied with her reaction. "I found it at Alpha Station. I've set it to a specific wave- _no,_ you can't talk to the Ring with it- but you'll be able to talk to me, if we ever split up, or we're on opposite ends of the valley, even though you _know-"_ he looks at her pointedly. "- that you're _not_ supposed to go to the river without me." 

She nods quickly, still looking at the radio excitedly. " _Wow."_

Murphy nods at the box. "Not done yet, kid." 

Madi reaches into it once again- Murphy watches nervously as she looks at the knife, somewhat-but-not-quite matching his own. Her name, _Madi,_ is etched on the hilt with delicate care- he'd spent hours, trying to get the letters even and small. 

"You know how to use one of those." He says lightly. "When we first dropped from the sky, I learned that Grounders start training early- when they're kids. Thought it was about time you had one of your own." 

Madi flicks the knife around her fingers, twirling it easily. "Cool!" 

"There's also a story that comes with that knife." Murphy says softly- Madi cocks her head curiously, looking from the knife, then to him, then back to the knife. 

" _This_ knife?" 

He shakes his head. "Not exactly. But it's an important one, to me, anyways- maybe you're old enough for it, now. I'll tell it to you tonight." 

Madi seems pleased with that answer, carefully placing the knife and radio back into the box and setting it on the floor, and then she throws her arms around Murphy. He catches her easily, but lets out a quiet grunt- she's getting heavy, _damn._

"Thanks, Murphy." She mumbles quietly into her chest. "You're the best."

Murphy pats her back. "I know, kid. Now come on- did your warrior clan teach you how to throw knives or am I going to have to do it?" 

* * *

"Madi's a natural at throwing knives." Murphy groans into the radio, watching as she tosses a knife with deadly aim, sticking it into the thick tree trunk. "Embarrassing how a ten year old picked it up faster than seventeen year old me."

Madi retrieves her knife from the tree before jogging back even further excitedly, flipping the knife in her hands. Murphy scowls at the sight of it, hoping she doesn't cut herself. 

"I just taught her the way you taught me." Murphy shrugs. "Even though you were a shitty teacher. Terrible temper. Very hands-on. Touchy, are we?" 

Murphy can almost hear Bellamy's snort, and his stuttering laugh, deep and throaty. It's a nice laugh. Murphy could never get sick of it- especially _now,_ after not being able to listen to it for years.

Madi bounds over to where Murphy is sitting in a patch of soft grass, sun shining through the cover of trees, dappled light washing over the both of them. 

"Birthday girl wants to say hi." Murphy mutters quickly before Madi snatches the radio out of his hands. 

"Hi Bellamy!" She exclaims. "I'm ten, today. Murphy got me gifts- he gave me a radio and a knife. And the knife comes with a story that he says is super-duper important to him. Do you know what the story is?" 

Murphy almost laughs out loud- Bellamy was _in_ the story. The story of a misplaced knife that had set in motion Murphy's life on the Ground. 

Bellamy was a _main character_ in the story. 

"Anyways, Murphy's a big softie." Madi brags. "He acts so tough, but he woke up _early_ today to make me breakfast and braid my hair _and_ give me gifts. And he _never_ wakes up early." 

Murphy looks at her warningly, even as she giggles. 

"Bet if you were down here, he'd do the same thing." She chuckles. "You have pretty long hair, right? I saw from Clarke's drawings. He could probably braid it. Okay, I'm going to give you back to Murphy- he's getting cranky." 

Murphy takes the radio from her, swinging his arm around dramatically as she patters back to the knife throwing spot, once again turning her focus to the tree. 

"The _mouth_ on that kid." Murphy quietly wails into the radio. "I don't know what I'll do when she's eleven- oh _God,_ when she's _twelve-_ this is the tweens, right? That's a thing? The teachers on the Ark used to call us that, when we were eleven. I don't know. I was arrested at thirteen."

"Anyways, you probably know what story she's talking about- red seatbelt sound familiar? It's gonna make me look like a bad guy. It's gonna make _you_ look like a bad guy. It's gonna make everyone look like a bad guy- I guess that's why I waited so long before telling her. I mean, Grounders, they're tough on each other- I'm not worried that the _actions_ will scare her. I mean- I don't want her to be scared of _me._ Or scared of you guys. She looks up to you all so much. The Rebel King, Wanheda, the Mechanic, the Engineer, the Chemist, the Thief- all these stories and titles, you know?"

Murphy sighs, his eyes idly following Madi's movements. "I mean- I don't think I'm a bad guy, anymore. I was- definitely was. We all were, at some point- the Ground's pretty good at turning us into those. But... I don't think we're bad guys now. I don't think there are any bad guys, down here. Everyone just wants to survive." 

Madi sticks the knife into the tree again easily. Her whoop echoes throughout the valley. 

"I'll keep the radio on tonight, when I tell her the story." Murphy says quietly. "They can all listen in, if they want. You, Clarke, Raven, Monty, Harper, Emori and Echo. If you want to. See you then." 

* * *

Madi and him sit atop of their house, burrowed in borrowed blankets from another townhome. The radio sits between them as they snack on berries, now a birthday tradition between them. 

Madi's still got her knife on her- she's very attached to it, for a piece of property she's had for only a month. She holds it loyally as Murphy props the radio closer to them. 

He'd like to imagine that his friends are all crowded around their radio, up on the Ark, ready to listen to Murphy tell Madi a darker story from their past, nudging at each other for a better spot to hear. It's not a fun tale to tell- but it's the truth. _Their_ truth. 

"Alright- I promised you a story, didn't I?" Murphy says gruffly.

Madi nods, popping a raspberry in her mouth excitedly. 

"Alright, Ring people- I'm telling Madi about the early days on the Ground." He warns into the radio. "Madi- it's not a nice story. It makes us look like bad people. All of us." 

She looks at him in anticipation, eyes wide as her jaw moves, chewing. 

"When the dropship first landed on the Ground, we were all pretty excited to be free." He begins. "All of us were criminals- even Bellamy, but he snuck onto the dropship. So when we got down, it was pretty wild. We didn't want a leader. We wanted to do whatever we felt like. Except- Clarke, and the Chancellor's son, Wells- they wanted some order. Some peace. There was a lot of fighting, between us all, because of this." 

"I didn't like Wells, because I didn't like his dad. None of us liked his dad, but he was still one of us. A jail person- a _delinquent_." Murphy admits. "I threatened him- and we got into a knife fight. I lost- and it pissed me off. But I was a coward, and I didn't do anything about it. I went to throw knives- and I was pretty bad at it, not like you. Bellamy had to spend _hours_ teaching me- _quit looking at me like that, Madi, knife throwing isn't romantic or cute_ \- and when I was blowing off steam, I finally stuck it. And then I left, because I was angry and forgot about it." 

Murphy's voice wavers dangerously as he's reliving some of the worst days of his life. The way these moments had shaped him and his attitude on the Ground had been monumental- and he acknowledged it. 

"The youngest Sky Person's name was Charlotte." He says softly. "She had really bad nightmares about the Chancellor, because he put her in jail. Bellamy tried to tell her to face her fears, and kill them- he didn't mean it _literally,_ of course, but she was only twelve. She didn't understand what she meant. So.... she found my knife, in the tree, where I left it. And she killed Wells with it." 

Madi's face is calm, devoid of emotion as she listens, but he can see her mind working a mile a minute as she processes it. Processes Charlotte, who was only two years older than her now. 

"When they found the knife, they thought I killed him." Murphy mutters. "Because it was mine. It had my initials on it. So they punished me for it. You see these scars? On my neck..."

He trails off as he points towards his neck, where a few pink lashes stay. The bruises had been awful, but they'd eventually faded- the slashes, not so much. It was a constant reminder, of that day, but he'd made his peace with it. Now, when he touched them, looked at them, he felt nothing but a dull ache. 

"They hung me." Murphy sighs. "And Clarke, Monty, Harper, they all watched as Bellamy kicked the crate I stood on." 

Madi gasps as if personally affronted, glaring at the radio dangerously. "They _what?"_

"They didn't know." He says softly. "They found my knife, with Wells' blood on it and thought I did it. They didn't ask me- they didn't believe me when I said I didn't do it." 

Madi still looks furious, her fingers twitching towards the radio, mouth parting as if she wants to say something. Murphy beats her to the chase. 

"Charlotte came forward." He continues. "And they cut me down. Charlotte jumped off a cliff, and Bellamy blamed me for her death. And he beat me up a bit before all of them- Clarke, him, Monty, Jasper- they banished me." 

Murphy chuckles dryly at the memory of running through the woods, tripping over invisible logs and slipping through wet mud. 

"I got captured by Trikru. They tortured me a bit- Trikru's not like Floukru, or Kliron Kru- they're a violent clan, you know that. Eventually, they sent me back to the Dropship, and they gave me a virus. You know, the one that makes you bleed from your eyes and your ears and mouth." 

Madi pulls a face, but nods accordingly- she seems to recognise what he's talking about. 

"And it spread to everyone. I got better first, because I was the first one to have it. And while everyone was sick, I killed two people." He says it bluntly, quickly, wanting to get it over with. "They had helped tie me up and hang me, and I wanted revenge. So I killed them." 

Madi's mouth is pressed in a straight line- Murphy so desperately wants to rush past this part of the story, the one that washes him in a black light, a dark blemish of his past that makes his stomach churn when he tells her about it. 

"I held Jasper hostage, in the Dropship." Murphy continues. "And Bellamy traded spots with him. Raven was underneath the dropship, trying to fix something- I don't know what it was. When Bellamy came in- I hung him, because I wanted revenge. With the same seatbelt he hung me with- so now, he has a matching scar, on his neck. I shot down into the floor, when I realised Raven was there, and it hit her spine- and... and it ruined her leg. I was banished from the dropship again, and I didn't come back for a long time."

Murphy struggles to find the right final words, to finish his monologue, mouth open as the cogs in his mind work slowly. 

"It's not the first bad thing any of us did." He says carefully. "And it wasn't the last. You know about the bomb on the Trikru bridge, the Mountain story, the Tower of Polis- we all made some tough decisions. All those guys up there, in space, the ones I call on the radio? Or the ones in the bunker? Me? We've all done bad things, and for a long time, we all thought we were bad people- but... I don't think that's true, anymore. We're just trying our best. Everyone's just trying their best." 

He hands her the drawing of him and Wells in the knife fight, that had been secretly folded in his pocket for the duration of the day, and she takes it from him gently, staring at the piece, eating it up hungrily.

Madi's quiet for a long time.

Minutes stretch on into what feels like hours, and his nerves are frazzled, as he waits for her to say something, anything-

"You look different, in this." She murmurs quietly, eyes still on the sketch. "You look angry." 

Murphy huffs. "I was angry. I used to be angry all the time- but not anymore." 

"Why?" 

Murphy glances at the radio, chewing his lip thoughtfully. 

"Some things need to be left in the past." Murphy mumbles. "I'm trying my best to do that, kid." 

Madi places a small hand on his shoulder, patting it gently. Murphy blinks back unwarranted tears, his eyes suddenly feeling sore, and pulls Madi into a one armed embrace. She stays there, burrowed into his side, carefully placing the radio in her lap. 

There the two them sit, illuminated by the moon and all the stars. Perhaps the Ark is up there, looking down on them too. 

Murphy looks upwards to the sky, grinning softly. Maybe Bellamy can see their little green valley and is smiling too

* * *

It's another rough winter- the temperature drops alarmingly low, all of a sudden, and they barely have enough time to scrape together the rest of the food they need. The weather is unpredictable, the rover breaks down multiple times, and stuffing the window ledges and gaps underneath the door isn't enough to keep the brisk chill out. 

Murphy still finds himself on the roof almost every night anyways- when Madi's deep asleep, covered in extra blankets. He brings a heavy coat, taken from one of the other houses, heaving himself onto the red tile. He almost drowns in the coat, the sleeves having to be rolled back four times for his hands to make an appearance, the hem of it almost to his knees. 

It keeps him warm, so he doesn't complain. 

There are no stars, tonight- the clouds hide the sky from him, making him frown imperceptibly. The radio static is already on, a quiet hiss that only he can hear. Madi's always been a deep sleeper, anyways. 

"Only a couple more years, till you guys are back down." Murphy whispers, his teeth chattering slightly. "If you ever made it at all. I really try and hope for the best, most of the time, but it's difficult, not hearing from you guys for so long. I guess I'll find out, when the time comes. I'll be expecting you- especially since you _promised_ you'd be back. We have houses for you all. Raven can have the one nearest to where I park the rover- it's got all the metal bits and bobs and the shit she likes. Monty and Harper can have the one closest to the farm- he can take care of growing the berries and stuff now. Especially during the goddamn winter." 

He scans the little village, fantasising about a world where they all live happily, peacefully in this valley. They'd retrieve the people from the bunker, they'd house everybody- they'd have a _life._

"Clarke can have the house with all the art in it- I think it was a school, or something- it's got all sorts of finger paints and stuff in it, but I'm sure she could figure out what to do with those. Emori and Echo can have their pick, wherever the hell they want- especially since they're the only two of you assholes that've never lived in space. Huh. That must've been exciting." 

Murphy hears Madi's soft snuffles wafting out of the house and out the window, up the chimney. It's comforting, being able to hear her, knowing she's safe as he takes a moment for himself. He needs them, sometimes. 

"It's no secret that I'd want you to live with me." Murphy sighs, rolling his eyes fondly, thinking about the girl sleeping downstairs. "Madi's not exactly subtle. I'm kind of banking on the fact that you can't hear me- but I kind of hope you _can_ hear me? I'd feel a lot less stupid if someone was actually listening to me talk into this old piece of crap radio. I dunno- it keeps me sane. But yeah. I think I'd want you to live with me." 

"I wonder what you were trying to say to me before the connection cut, when Praimfaya hit." He lies back, snuggling into the coat a little more, tucking his legs in. "I think about it every day." 

A pause. Reword. 

"Bellamy Blake, I think about _you_ every day." He admits quietly, barely a whisper above a breath. "And Madi was right. I do like-like you." 

He doesn't turn off the radio, not tonight. He instead lets the static buzz next to him as he lies down, as if Bellamy is lying with him, eyes wide open while he thinks. 

And he thinks. 

And he thinks. 

And eventually, the sun rises on the horizon, and the dark clouds that had covered the clouds become a pale grey.

* * *

Murphy's tinkering with the rover, cussing as he kicks it for a fourth time, _begging_ for the pipes in the hood to stop sputtering, when he hears it. 

Madi's on the other side of the valley, practicing her knife throwing and skinning some animals- she's _supposed_ to be, anyways. She has her radio with her- so when Murphy hears the blip in the radio static, he thinks nothing of it. 

He fiddles with the buttons anyways, looking at it curiously when he realises he wasn't on the frequency Madi was on. 

He was on the frequency with the _Ring._

"Oh my God." Murphy says dumbly, holding the radio away from him in horror, shock, nerves- excitement? He shouldn't be getting his hopes up, not now, not after all these years of settling with a quiet radio. It had just been a stupid little sound, nothing to put up a fuss about-

 _Blip._ Again. 

"Fuck, fuck, fuckfuckfuck, holy _shit."_ Murphy can't control himself as he tries to form an appropriate reaction. "Hello? _Is this the Ring?"_

Nothing, but Murphy's heart is soaring- they _had_ to have made it to the Ring, they _had_ to be able to hear him. They were up there. Every pessimistic dread, quiet defeat, broken hope that Murphy's had over the years ebbs away, and his face is cracked open into a beam that splits his face. After years of an empty frequency, just him talking into the void, _this!_

"I still can't hear you." Murphy explains, grinning like a madman. "But I think you can hear me. I'm only hearing this _blip_ sound- so Raven, whatever you're doing, keep doing it."

Murphy's hand finds his head, and he _giggles,_ loudly and maniacally. It's a _blip,_ it's only a freak in the system, but Murphy won't let it be _just_ that. It's a sign, a signal, and it's enough to keep him going, for the next few years. 

A blip. 

Who knew that would be all that he needed?

"I'll keep this signal open, if that really is you guys." Murphy says, already walking away from the rover. "Let me just find Madi. She'll go ballistic, just you wait." 

* * *

Madi spins around, turning away from him before slinging a knife at the poor tree, gashed open with the near year of her knife-throwing practice. Ever since Murphy told her that Octavia and Echo were warriors, terrifying fighters and all round badasses, Madi was dead-set on perfecting her work with knives before moving onto swords. 

"You know I can't use swords, right?" Murphy takes his own knife before lobbing it at the tree, sticking it mere inches from Madi's. He looks to the sky, gives it a little grin. 

"At _all?"_ Madi groans. "I'm almost _eleven._ We would be preparing to go into our first battles, soon." 

Murphy pinches the bridge of his nose, willing the incoming headache to go away. 

"When Echo comes down, she can teach you." He grouses, as he pulls the knife out of the trunk. "Or when Octavia comes up. Whoever's first. I don't really care." 

"Trikru and Azgeda have different fighting styles anyways." Madi sniffs, tossing her knife in the air before catching it by the handle easily. Murphy's heart jumps with worry, when she does that- but she's getting older. Growing. Learning. 

"I can teach you to shoot a gun, but that's it." Murphy offers. Madi crunches her face in consideration, narrowing his eyes at him. 

"You'd _let me_ use a gun?" She asks warily. "Why?" 

Murphy's taken aback, at the question- it in fact, _was_ very out of character, now that he looked back on it, and he frowns. Why would he offer that? Madi's not old enough for a gun, and it's _dangerous_ \- but if Echo and Octavia can teach her how to use swords, _surely_ he can contribute _something-_

"You're not _jealous,_ are you?" Madi exclaims, breaking into Murphy's thoughts with the honest truth. He immediately twists his face into a performative scowl, rolling his eyes at her antics. 

"Not in the _slightest."_ He scoffs, blowing a raspberry at her. She blows one back, childishly, and he sneers. 

"Aren't you supposed to be almost-eleven?" He goads. She snarls at him, a mirror expression to the one Murphy normally employs on his own facial features. 

"Aren't _you_ supposed to be, like, almost twenty-one?" Madi shoots back. "Do twenty-one year olds get _jealous?"_

Murphy's face crumples slightly at that, and it must show, because Madi loses the front. She sighs, dropping her knife into the long grass that tickles their ankles, before pattering over and wrapping her arms around Murphy's torso. Damn her, for making him soft.

"They can't replace you, Murphy." She says softly, genuinely. Murphy rests his chin on the top of her thick black hair, sighing. She's getting so _tall._

"None of those losers could ever." He blusters weakly, but it falls short, sounding a little nervous. He instead starts to babble. "Those guys have lots to teach you- Echo'll teach you to shoot an arrow, Octavia can teach you to fight. Harper can teach you to snipe, Clarke can teach you to draw, Raven can talk mechanics. Emori's the best pickpocket you'll ever know... after me. Monty will tell you about the trees and Bellamy- well, he'll teach you how to be a good person. They all will." 

"I don't need him for that." Madi mumbles into his chest, tightening her wrap around him. "I have you." 

Murphy pats her on the back gently. "I'm not all that, kid. You know my past." 

Madi pulls away to glare at him. 

"Yes, you are all that." She says fiercely. "I'd pick you over the rest of them any day, no matter how cool they are. They're only cool because of everything _you've_ told me, and they wouldn't be alive without _you._ You're my dad in all the ways that matter, and I won't forget that, even when they come back down." 

Murphy startles, at the bold statement, jaw dropping only slightly as he processes Madi's thoughtful words. He hadn't realised she'd felt this way. 

Her _dad._

It warms his heart, sending a happy, tingly feeling all around his body.

"Stop getting so smart, Madi." He groans, bringing her- his _daughter-_ in for another crushing hug, squeezing tightly until she's wheezing and tugging at him to let go. 

* * *

"Only a few more months, before you guys are supposed to come down." Murphy murmurs. "Radiation's been gone for almost a year. Madi's almost thirteen. _Five years till the radiation's mostly gone, six to be safe_ , right?" 

His eyes are on the sky, like they have been most of the time, these days. It's still early, to expect a ship falling from the sky, but Murphy's still hopeful, waiting with bated breath. Madi's stopped trying to pull him away from the spot on the roof, but she's lenient. She understands. She's a smart kid, and Murphy's ever so grateful for it. 

"I've made Madi some big promises on all of your behalves." Murphy warns. The radio is getting rusty, the paint chipping where he's constantly gripping it. The handle seems to have a constant sticky feeling to it, after Madi's constant bad habit of grabbing it before she's washed her hands after snacking on berries. 

"She wants to learn how to drive the rover, but I've saved Raven that tough conversation, and she has to be at _least_ sixteen." He starts. " _Teenager_ \- she's moody, and I think she needs to, like- I don't know, talk to a _girl._ Six years with a ' _big, stinky man'_ is _horrible_ apparently. Her words. And then, Echo and Harper are going to teach her how to shoot. Echo with her arrows, and Harper with a sniper. She wants to be _well-rounded._ Then, Clarke is gonna teach her how to draw. She still obsesses over her drawings, the ones we found at Alpha Station. Monty will will do his plant thing with her, and Emori will teach her how to steal. But not from me, or I'll ground her- I don't even know _how_ I'd ground her. But it would happen." 

"Now, you're probably wondering what I've saved for you. Well, _you,_ Bellamy- you get to teach her how to tie a noose." Murphy pauses for a second before snorting unattractively, choking out a raucous laugh. "I'm kidding! I can imagine your face at that, holy shit- _hah_. No, you get to teach her whatever the hell you want. That was kind of your slogan, wasn't it, Rebel King?" 

He can hear Madi downstairs, puttering about the house- maybe she's finally sweeping the floor like Murphy asked her to do last week. He looks skywards for strength. 

Teenagers. 

Teenage _girls._

He's glad they're coming back down, because god _forbid_ he raise a teenage girl on his _own._ He shudders at the mere thought of it. 

"Madi's pretty excited." Murphy says conversationally. "She's cleaning out the houses for you. Not our house though- only the other ones. Making the beds. She wanted to carve welcome signs, but I told her not to go overboard. That goof. She's just so excited to get away from me-" 

"No I'm _not-_ quit telling them that!" Madi's indignant voice wafts from the open window downstairs. He stretches over and sticks his head over the chimney. 

"Stop listening to my calls, you imp!" He yells. He hears her harrumph, before a rhythmic sweeping sound starts back up. He groans into the radio. 

"See what I have to deal with?" He whispers, flicking his glance downwards, in case his daughter decided she wasn't finished being nosey. "Anyways- I haven't checked the bunker, yet- I suppose that's the first thing you'll want to do, is find Octavia. Bring them here. Shallow Valley is big enough for the entire bunker- we'd have to cut down some of the forest, for space and for wood, but Skaikru is claiming the houses already here. That's my only demand, as the one man government of this place. Don't tell Madi I said that." 

He slides the radio back into his bag easily before teetering down the creaky ladder, hopping to the floor easily and entering the house. 

Madi _is_ sweeping, and he grunts his acknowledgement, throwing his bag on the bed before collapsing next to it. Madi looks at him curiously, hurriedly finishing her work- she's probably missed too many spots that Murphy's going to have to go over once more, but he's not bothered to lecture her. She lays the broom against the cupboard before hopping onto the bed with Murphy, propping her head up with her elbow. 

"Whatcha thinking?" She chirps, and Murphy takes a peek at her from cracked open eyelids. 

"I'm thinking about how you didn't sweep the floor properly." He mutters pointedly, yelping when she flicks him on the ear. Ouch. Another trick she picked up from him. 

"No, seriously." Madi whines. "They're coming down soon. How does that feel?" 

Murphy looks at her strangely as she blinks innocently. 

"Asking about people's feelings?" Murphy scoffs. "I taught you better than that." 

He inspects her expression a little longer, noting the twitch in her mouth and how she seems to be holding back a laugh. He narrows his eyes at her, waiting for her facade to break. 

It doesn't.

"I _did_ teach you better than that." He snorts approvingly. "You just want to know how I feel about _Bellamy_ coming down." 

Madi wrings her hands a little, guilty as charged, but a faint smile playing at her lips tells Murphy that she's not sorry at all. 

"You're nervous." She states confidently. "You haven't seen those guys in six years and you're worried that they've forgotten about you."

Murphy's mouth drops, affronted, his eyelids flying open so he can glare at her. After a second, a staring standoff, he drops back down onto the bed, flopping with a loud groan. 

"You're not even thirteen." Murphy mutters. "Stop being wise." 

Madi shrugs, chest puffing proudly. "I can't wait to meet them in person." 

"I'm going to tell Clarke about the big crush you have on her. And Monty. And Raven- I'll tell them all about your crushes on them." Murphy teases, dodging a quick whack from Madi, who squeals. 

"I do _not."_ She scowls. "I'm gonna tell Bellamy about the big crush you have on him... oh wait! I already have." 

Murphy's skin washes red when he realises he'll find out, for _real,_ when they come down, if they've been able to hear him. He hopes the rest of them had common enough decency not to listen in on his conversations, that had eventually been exclusively for Bellamy. How he'd poured out every thought, feeling, anecdote he'd experienced over the years. 

"I'll tell him myself, in person." Murphy confesses, chewing his lip. It makes him nervous- Bellamy makes him _nervous_ in a childish, schoolyard type of way. It's a nice feeling- that exciting, fluttery feeling in his stomach. 

Maybe it's love. Murphy chooses not to dwell on it, not right now, not in front of his daughter. 

"Murphy and Bellamy, kissing in a tree! _K-I-S-S-I-"_

Murphy takes the pillow from the headboard of his bed, swinging it around and hitting Madi square in the face.

Good. 

She deserves it. 

* * *

Who's Murphy kidding?

His life will always be forever intertwined with Bellamy's. It was written into their destiny when they stepped off that dropship together. 

To say he _wasn't_ hopelessly in love with Bellamy Blake would be a vile, terrible lie. 

* * *

Madi and Murphy are sitting on the roof with their berries when they see it. 

No- _Madi_ sees it.

The sun is setting, painting the valley pink and orange, warming Murphy's skin slightly. There are no clouds, not today- it's a beautiful summer day, one of those days where not going outside would be a _travesty._

Madi's humming a silly tune, something that she'd heard on Jasper's iPod, when he'd hooked it up to the rover on her thirteenth birthday. She's off-tune, a pitch too high, but Murphy's okay with it filling the silence. 

He's deep in his thoughts, his fingers twitching towards his bag, when Madi nudges him. He doesn't register it, not right away, his mind still spinning. 

"Murphy." She hisses. 

"What, kid?" He grumbles, turning to her, eyes shooting daggers. Her attention, however, is on the sky, eyes wide and bright brown in the sunset glow. 

"Murphy, _look!"_ She points frantically, and Murphy finally squints into the distance, following her finger. 

And-

Oh.

_There._

Something falling from the sky, bright and fast- not too far away, definitely not even as far as _Alpha Station._ It's too early for a shooting star, still too light out- and it seems to be getting bigger, as it drops, going so very fast. 

Murphy's throat jumps to his heart, and he snatches his bag. 

"Is that them?" Madi gasps, voicing everything he was thinking. "Murphy, Murphy, _Murphy-_ that's _got_ to be them!" 

The two of them glance at each other, just once, before scrambling off the roof at breakneck speed, their container of berries forgotten. They make a mad dash for the rover, Madi hopping into shotgun while he clambers into the drivers seat. There must be a higher power, up there, because the rover starts up in a record one minute, and he's got his foot on the gas as Madi keeps her view on the pod, getting nearer and nearer to the Ground with every second that passes by. What looks to be a parachute blows up, and Murphy's heart is pounding in his chest, in his ears, anywhere and _everywhere._

The drive feels like forever- they’re not there yet, when the pod drops out of their view, presumably on the Ground already, but Madi still loyally keeps her head up, eyes scanning the wasteland for any sign of them. 

Murphy still hasn't taken his weight off the gas. 

He's mulling over his chances of the rover breaking down right then and there when they're climbing an especially large dune, the rover creaking in protest. Murphy snarls, inwardly begging it to keep going. The wonderful, oh, _wonderful_ bit of machinery persists, finally breaching the top of the dune and _there._

A ship. Right there. In Murphy's _reach._

He doesn't realise he's crying until his eyes are blurring and he's having difficulty staring at the pod through the windowshield, fat tears welling up and falling onto his cargo pants. Murphy's not sure if this is the impression he'd been planning on making, after six years, with hair that Madi had accidentally cut too shirt and a stubble and a ruddy nose and bloodshot eyes from sobbing but here he is, driving like a madman as his heart _soars_ when he remembers he's finally seeing his friends after _six years._

Madi doesn't comment on his tears, staying quiet for a moment- he appreciates her silence. 

They finally roll up as the ship door is cracking open, and the sun has fallen over the horizon, nighttime stretching over the sky. Murphy jumps out of his seat, his stomach twisting with anxiety as the door slowly descends. Madi takes a seat on the hood, and he looks at her strangely, wondering why she wasn't walking next to him. 

"I'll say hi after." She gestures at the ship. "You go first. I'm nervous, anyways." 

_What a smart kid._ Murphy's proud of her.

The door finally reaches the ground, and Murphy gulps, waiting for a sign of life, a sign of _them._

A helmet, tossed to the sand from the dark inside of the ship. Murphy stares at it in awe before looking back at the door, and the tears don't show any signs of stopping when he sees Emori walk out first, hopping onto the ground with a satisfied sigh before noticing him. Her hair is longer, held back by her trademark blue bandanna, but her face is fuller. Rounder. Like she's been well-fed, well taken care of. She finally sees him, her figure freezing for a split second.

But _only_ a split second. 

"John?" She breathes, approaching him briskly as he walks towards her, before she's running and barrelling into him at full speed. He falls to the ground with an " _oomph"_ as she collapses on top of him, her body starting to rack with sobs that match his own as he holds her tight. 

"Sorry I stole your radio." Murphy chokes out. He's pretty sure he wipes some snot onto the shoulder of Emori's spacesuit, but she ignores it, wide, wet eyes looking at him happily. 

"You're a bastard." She sniffs, but it's teasing, and she breaks into giggles, bubbly and cheery, even while wet streaks litter her cheeks. "Damn, is it _good_ to see you, John."

" _Murphy?"_

Raven's the next to step out, her hobble less noticeable than it had been when he'd watched her get into the rocket for the first and last time. She jogs towards him, face split in a bright smile. 

"You _asshole!"_ She shrieks, throwing her arms around his neck as she falls to her knees in the sand next to him, squeezing him tightly as the two girls pile over him. 

"I told you we'd meet again." He says wetly- God, he never thought he'd be this happy to see Raven again, all those years ago when he shot her at the dropship. Times change. Things change. 

He changed. 

"You just witnessed Emori's first pilot job." Raven nudges his ex, and she smirks proudly. Murphy's jaw drops, and he ruffles Emori's helmet hair, congratulations and kudos on the tip of his tongue. 

"No _fucking way!"_ A male voice pipes up.

Monty, Harper and Echo stand at the doorway of the dropship- they walk towards him with a little more calamity, and Murphy waves awkwardly. 

"Oh, stop it." Echo snaps, and pulls Murphy into a hug. She murmurs into his ear, " _thank you."_

He waves her away, lip trembling as he tries to collect himself. He's glad to note that she seems much more comfortable with the rest of the group, her shoulder's relaxed and her smile easy- not at all the girl that held Emori back as Murphy ran to the tower all those years ago.

Harper gives him a one armed squeeze, smiling kindly, excitedly, and Monty claps him on the back- he's beaming, the happiest Murphy's seen him since Jasper's passing. 

"I've got something for you." Murphy tells him quietly. "From him."

He doesn't doubt that Monty knows what _him_ he's referring too. 

Monty nods once, chewing his lip thoughtfully. "Thanks for keeping it for me. Bellamy told me." 

_Bellamy._

The radio had worked, and the confirmation sets forth another wave of tears.

Murphy _knew_ he'd been listening.

He looks to the dropship- Clarke and Bellamy have yet to emerge. Instead, to busy himself, he waves Madi over. 

"Madi!" He calls, and she hops off the hood of the car, approaching the group shyly. "Madi- you know about Raven, Harper, Emori, Monty and Echo." 

"Hi." She breathes, her eyes wide like saucers as she sees her childhood heroes in person for the first time. Madi can't seem to help the small " _wow"_ that escapes her lips, and Murphy snickers at her. 

All the main characters from the stories she grew up on- the Mechanic, the Sniper, the Thief, the Engineer and the Spy, with _Wanheda_ and the _Rebel King_ coming soon- all together in front of her eyes. He can't really blame her, for being in awe, and he's glad she looks up to them so dearly.

"Everybody, this is my kid." He says- there's a proud lilt to his voice, and he squeezes her shoulder gently. 

"So _you're_ the one that kept Murphy sane." Emori teases- Madi blushes, fidgeting slightly with her nerves. Raven skips the formalities and gives her hug, and the younger girl turns her head to Murphy, her mouth open in excitement. 

"Can you _believe_ it?" Harper mutters incredulously. "We leave Murphy alone for six years and he becomes a _father."_

"And he's so _soft_ now too." Raven pretends to wipe a proud tear from her eye- even though they're still bloodshot and swollen from all the ones that have already fallen. "He used to kick puppies and- like, make babies cry."

"We've heard so much about you." Monty says warmly, patting Madi's shoulder gently. "Bellamy _raved_ about the two of you every day at the table- oh, _Murphy and Madi_ this and _Murphy and Madi_ that-"

"Speaking of that-" Madi asks curiously, with a pleased smile at the rest of the group, winking at Murphy subtly. "Where _is_ Bellamy?"

Murphy turns back to the dropship hopefully, his knees weak and trembling as he waits and watches.

As if by command, the last two members of the space crew jump out of the ship, landing in the sand softly. Clarke's hair has been hacked off, blonde waves swinging around her ears and her shoulders. She dusts herself off, before quickly looking around, always trying to keep an eye on her friends. 

Next to her is Bellamy. Murphy's long since stopped trying to hold back his unending sobs, shaking his body, comforted only by the fact that all of them are equally as teary eyed as well. 

"Murphy!" Clarke exclaims, clapping a hand over her mouth, her eyes glistening under the moonlight. Bellamy looks up immediately, and for the first time in six years, Murphy looks into those brown eyes. 

His hair is a little longer, curling around his ears and his forehead. He's got a beard now, one that hides some of those freckles that Murphy loves so much, but it's okay. Bellamy's _here,_ right in front of Murphy, and nothing could ever change that.

Clarke smiles at him warmly, waggling her fingers in semblance of a wave, before joining the rest of the group- they've all stepped away, closer to the rover, entertaining Madi and catching up. They let Murphy pretend they've forgotten about him and Bellamy, who are all too stuck in their own world.

He doesn't realise he's walking until Bellamy's suddenly meters away from him- he sees crystalline tears streaming down the older man's face. 

"I heard you, every day on the radio. I listened every day-" Bellamy babbles as he moves towards him. "We tried, to get the connection back to you- I wanted to answer so many times, I wanted to talk to you, but I promise, we never stopped trying-" 

"You don't need to explain." Murphy cuts him off, throwing himself into Bellamy's already open arms, and they crumple to the ground together, still warm from the day of sun. "You came back, that's all that matters."

"I promised we would." He murmurs. "I promised."

He laughs wetly, cupping Murphy's face in his hands. 

"You _asshole."_ Bellamy mumbles, his voice thick with emotion, echoing Raven's earlier sentiment. "What were you thinking, going up that _goddamn_ radio tower- you didn't know the nightblood was going to work- you saved us all-" 

"It happened, it was fine, quit it." Murphy dismisses shakily, his arms comfortably around Bellamy's neck while the latter is gripping his waist. 

"I wasn't able to tell you-" Bellamy breathes. "The radio stopped working- I tried so many times to get it to work-" 

"Then tell me now." Murphy demands, his heart racing out of his chest. 

A beat- they look at each other, drinking one another in like a drowned man who found water, as Bellamy searches for his words- Murphy can see the cogs working, and he waits patiently-

"I... I- I love you." He blurts, his cheeks darkening. It's so endearing, to Murphy, who looks at him with wide eyes and a shaky skile. "That's what I was trying to tell you, when the connection cut. I loved you when you climbed up that stupid tower and I loved you when you told me that stupid Shakespeare quote and I loved you when I thought you died and I loved you when you called me on the radio for the first time and every day after that and I loved you when you found a daughter and I loved you every- _single-_ _second_ of these past six years." 

Murphy's mouth is dropped open in shock at the long, heartfelt declaration, a warm, funny feeling spreading from his stomach and into his chest and tingling through his body. 

"And you'll come live with me in my small house with my daughter, even though you snore _and_ sleepwalk?" Murphy chokes out. Bellamy chuckles a little, nodding his confirmation. 

"I'd follow you anywhere." Bellamy confesses quietly, looking at him wondrously. "Especially if you're going to wake up early and make me breakfast and give me gifts and braid my hair." 

Murphy lets out a surprised bark of laughter, shocked that Bellamy had remembered Madi's words from all those years ago on her tenth birthday, tugging at his heartstrings insistently.

The confession starkly contrasts to the beginning of _MurphyandBellamy_ , when Murphy had been at his heels at every beck and call, looking up at Bellamy like he was the sun and all it's planets.

Murphy doesn't bother thinking about it anymore. 

He'll focus on the _MurphyandBellamy_ instead. 

Murphy no longer has the words to express the jumble of emotions he's feeling, bouncing around his head and his heart frantically. So he leans in, pressing his mouth to Bellamy's, hoping that it'll do the talking for him, repeat to him everything Murphy's ever said into that silly radio static. 

It's short, chaste, quick, and they part to the sound of the rest of the group cheering, Murphy smiling as he buries his head into the crook of Bellamy's neck. He distinctly hears a childish " _blegh!"_

_Teenagers._

* * *

Murphy finds his hand wrapped tightly by Bellamy's, and they walk to the rover, where the group all wait with waggling eyebrows and teasing tongues, or in Madi's case, a face twisted with disgust. 

"Shut up." He shoots at Raven, who's mouth is open, ready to jibe at him. She looks at him innocently- Murphy notes the arm around Clarke's hips, hand a little lower than friendly.

He raises his eyebrows at the two of them. 

"Anything you guys wanna tell me?" Murphy asks. Bellamy snickers from next to him as the two of them evaluate the rest of the group, who seem to be all paired up. 

Harper and Monty seem to still be going strong, after six years, her head comfortably resting on his shoulder. However, it's Emori shuffling towards Echo that has Murphy's eyes widening in shock. 

"Space was... _difficult,_ for the first few months." Echo says softly, looking at Murphy imploringly. He rolls his eyes at her. 

"Doesn't bother me. I'm claimed." Murphy announces haughtily, quickly, as if he hadn't been ugly-crying for the past hour they've all reunited, and Bellamy pecks him on the cheek accordingly, unable to keep his hands to himself. Murphy blushes like a schoolgirl.

He's not sure he'll ever get used to it- such a beautiful thing that he'd been hoping and waiting for all this time.

"Thank _God_ you guys are together now." Raven groans. "Now we don't have to listen to Bellamy talk about Murphy and Madi for _hours_ a day _."_ She sends Madi a pointed look, making her giggle. "Yeah, I wish I was kidding." 

"I'm still gonna do that." Bellamy snaps, eliciting an exasperated laugh from the mechanic.

"C'mere, kid." Murphy beckons the girl, who bounds up to the two of them. 

"It's nice to finally meet you back." Bellamy says, and Madi grins, remembering the first time Murphy let her speak into the radio, wrapping her arms around his chest carefully. He returns the embrace with vigour, as if they were old friends and not almost-strangers. "I'm Bellamy." 

"I know." Madi looks at Murphy cheekily. "You guys think Bellamy was bad? You should've heard _Murphy._ Ew! Now I'm surrounded by icky _couples._ "

They all laugh a little- the new arrivals still seem to be surprised, at the dynamic between Madi and Murphy and what they mean to one another

"No boyfriends or girlfriends for you anyways." Murphy pats her braided hair. "Until you're at _least_ twenty." 

"Good. I don't want one." Madi sniffs at him, before returning her attention to Echo, who's talking about swords.

 _Ugh_. 

"She sounds just like you." Bellamy says casually.

Murphy pokes him in the ribs, his mouth dropping, affronted. 

"You just lost shotgun privileges, for that." Murphy scoffs. "Madi's back to being promoted." 

Bellamy rolls his eyes at him, tightening the arm that had snaked around his waist. "She was never demoted in the first place. I'll sit in the back of the rover." 

Murphy eyes his daughter, who's fluttering between everyone, chattering excitedly to the first people she's seen other than him in years. 

"Yeah." He answers, gazing at Madi fondly as she bounces between conversations. "Guess you'll have to."

* * *

Murphy's convinced them to spend the next few days resting in the village before retrieving the rest of the coalition from the bunker.

They'd entered Murphy and Madi's little home with the faded red roof and creaky doors- Clarke had brushed her fingers along her drawings on the wall, quirking her lip at the sketches of Lexa before returning to her post next to Raven. The pieces stay there- she's happy to let them sit on display by their shelf, next to a radio that no longer buzzes with the familiar static Murphy's so used to hearing all the time.

Raven finds the fact that Murphy fixed the rover unbelievable, rattling off all the things wrong with it and immediately sliding underneath it to tinker, emerging with oil stained hands and dirty cheeks- back in her natural habit, and she glows with it. Emori dips into to the hood instead, sniggering at the plume of smoke that flies up- a result of Murphy's trigger-happy foot on the gas pedal on the way to the pod.

Harper is ecstatic that there's something other than _algae_ to grow, and gets started on expanding their variety in their garden, cheerfully munching on berries as she digs, happy to get her hands on some real soil and leaves. Monty's not far behind her, but Murphy hands him the letter and goggles first, and the former made his way to an unoccupied side of the valley, to be alone with Jasper for the last time. 

Echo immediately gets started working with Madi, giving her a katana of her own, happy to teach her with delicate care- not once does she overstep the boundaries Murphy has set, reigning in her boundless energy with ease. 

Bellamy- well, Bellamy stays true to his word, and happily follows Murphy around as he shows him the sights of Shallow Valley. 

"That's where I sat, most days, to call you." Murphy points at the roof. 

"That's where Madi almost caught me on the first day." He gestures at the shining bear trap.

"That's where I called you for the first time." He nods at a spot on the riverbank. Bellamy listens intently, not letting Murphy out of his sight as he's directed around the valley. 

The days go by easily. Murphy doesn't think he can get enough of _seeing_ people in the once ghost town, Clarke and Raven popping out of their house to run errands, Monty and Harper stomping around the garden with dirt on their hands, Echo chasing Madi around while the younger girl shrieks with glee and Emori sitting by and watching, a small smile spread on her face. Murphy knows that even though he and Madi's bond will always be the strongest, it's alright for the other seven of his friends, people that have so much to teach her, to to raise her along with him.

There's still plenty of work to come, however- when the bunker people come- they need to build more settlements, dividing the valley into areas and clans, sharing the resources- but Murphy dismisses it, just for a while. 

After all, he's waited six years to wake up in the morning like _this_ , birds chirping outside while Madi and Bellamy snore in tandem, the older man's large arm wrapped around his hips as the sunrise filters into the house, washing their home in a warm glow. 

**Author's Note:**

> my twitter is 505daytime  
> pls leave a comment or kudos or come talk to me i don’t bite (most of the time)


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